Empower the girl child - Archbishop Odama

The chairman of Uganda Episcopal Conference, Archbishop John Baptist Odama, has appealed to Ugandans not to mistreat the girl child but empower her for development. He criticized parents who prefer educating the boy child while leaving a girl to stay at home doing chores. The Archbishop instead encouraged parents to treat both boy and girl equally.

"Don't mistreat a girl child because she is a girl but treat them equally," Odama told participants. The Archbishop was speaking during the women convention in Gulu district organised by Action for Development. To drive his point home Odama equated the girl child treatment as a couple who has just got wedded as the husband and the wife walk side by side so should the girl and boy be treated.

Gulu Atiak Theatre Artist entertaining guests in Adinding dance during national women convention in Gulu district. Photo by Francis Emorut

 The executive director of Action for Development Regina Bafaki implored participants to educate both girl child and boy. She said the journey of gender equality begins with one step at a time and never gets tied.

The Archbishop condemned domestic violence in families and called for harmony. The Gulu Resident District Commissioner Capt. Santos Okot Lapolo urged men to give women equal opportunity in decision making process. "The woman is an important creation God has ever made, without her the world would be incomplete,"Lapolo said drawing applause from participants