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{
"id": 940683,
"url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/940683/?format=api",
"text_counter": 315,
"type": "speech",
"speaker_name": "Sen. (Dr.) Musuruve",
"speaker_title": "",
"speaker": {
"id": 13188,
"legal_name": "Getrude Musuruve Inimah",
"slug": "getrude-musuruve-inimah"
},
"content": "I stand here to speak passionately as a mother of daughters and support this Bill. I am happy that this Bill has addressed pertinent issues. This Bill is addressing issues of expectant girls, right to education and care of a child. These are three critical issues because when a girl is expectant, she goes through a lot of stigma, pain, ridicule and is misunderstood by the society, family and her significant other. As I stand here, I wear the shoe of that girl and understand what she is going through. There is need to come up with policies that will ensure that we help the girl child. This is because, when a girl child is helped, gets an education and is successful in the society, it is a bonus to the family, the society, the nation and the entire world. Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, this Bill comes in handy to ensure that we relieve the girl child of the distress that she goes through. It is a win-win Bill for the girl child. In a family where a girl and a boy are born, it is possible for the boy child to self-actualize and become what he really wants to be because there are no hindrances at all. On the side of the girl child, there are so many hurdles that hinder the development of the girl child. At the end of the day, the girl ends up lagging behind, not because she is not bright, but because of circumstances like early pregnancies. Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, according to the Constitution, everyone has a right to an education. The girl child has a right to an education. When we educate the girl and she is able to actualize in education, then it is possible for the entire nation, society and world to break the cyclic nature of poverty. A lot of research has shown that the world’s poorest are children and women. It is possible for us to arrest a situation where the girl child is eventually lumped in the category of the poor. If the girl child is accorded an education at the right time and is able to self-actualize, it is a plus economically for us, as a nation. This Bill is a bonus. It will do good for this nation in ensuring that we are making the girl child productive and reducing early child marriages. If a girl child is educated, she will not get into these early marriages. In a situation where a girl gets pregnant, if she is given another chance to go back to school, eventually her mind brightens. She realizes her mistakes and becomes a plus to this country. When we educate a girl, we increase literacy levels in the family. In a situation where mothers have gone to school and are well educated, even the literacy levels of their families go high. This Bill comes in handy to ensure that we are doing it right as a nation. Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, I now want to look at the issue of care of the child. Article 26 of the Constitution states that everyone has a right to life. Sometimes girls go through the dark side where nobody understands what they are going through. Some girls find themselves in a situation where they are expectant, nobody knows what they are going through and the boy responsible for the pregnancy is not even there. Out of distress, they even end up aborting. This contravenes Article 26 of the Constitution which states that everyone has a right to life. Even though everyone has a right to life, we have to really wear the shoe of that girl child who is very innocent, who got into a problem that she did not know, has been misadvised and eventually is pregnant. Many at times, the child is asked to terminate the pregnancy. The electronic version of the Senate Hansard Report is for information purposesonly. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor, Senate."
}