Research Questions:

TOPIC: SOCIAL PROTECTION AS A MEANS TO COMBAT GIRL CHILD

VULNERABILITY IN SOUTH EASTERN NIGERIA
The study will expose the abnormal treatment given to the vulnerable girl child in South Eastern
Nigeria. It will examine the state of the existing children’s social protection programmes in Nigeria
and their implementation challenges. The study will suggest valuable means of combating girl-child
vulnerabilities through social protection initiatives.
BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY
In many developing countries, children live in a situation of vulnerability. Nigeria is not an
exception. Vulnerability is defined as a ‘state of high exposure to certain risks, combined with a
reduced ability to protect or defend oneself against those risks and cope with their negative
consequences. Exposure to risk is recognized as one of the main sources of child vulnerability.
Comparing the rate at which children are exposed to risks, the girl-child is more exposed to risk due
to gender discrimination at the household and community level (Hartl, 2006). She is prone to
several vulnerabilities, which the opposite gender is not faced with.
A girl-child is a biological female offspring below the age of 18 years (UNICEF, 2002). She is a
very important member of the family in traditional African society. In spite of the fact that the
awareness of girl child rights is a global pursuit, the vulnerability of girl child has become
worrisome and alarming.
In south Eastern Nigeria, especially in the rural areas, which is the study area, the researcher
lamentably observed that the girl-child has continued to be at the receiving end when it comes to
discrimination in society, as this unfortunate development prevents her from attaining her full
potential in life. She has continued to be victim of numerous abuse, neglect, exploitation, gender-
based violence, inhumane activities, harmful cultural practices especially the female genital
mutilation (i.e., the partial or total removal of the external female genitalia or other injury to the
female genital organs for cultural or other nonmedical reasons), and other pervasive atrocities that
deny them their fundamental human rights and the rights of the United Nations child (UNESCO,
2021).
These atrocities are always being perpetuated by either the parents and relatives. According to
Nwagor (2018), some girl child in Nigeria are given out in marriage very early. Some are
sometimes given out to people as house helps and nannies. Some are also made to engage in
hawking during school hours, thereby deny them the right to go to school or acquisition of skills
needed for survival. All these practices are direct forms of discrimination against the girl child who
as a result of the practices are often deprived of her basic rights to health, education, economic
empowerment, social and political rights and gender equity (UNICEF, 2002).
In the report of the International Labour Organization (2013), “child vulnerability is addressed
when social protection programmes put forth measures against such social ills and provide the
parameters to combat such in the future”. Therefore, there is an urgent need for an understanding of
the multiple and often intersecting vulnerabilities and risks that girl-child face in South Eastern
Nigeria, in order to provide adequate social protection strategies and policy frameworks
accordingly.
RESEARCH DESIGN
The research design to be adopted for this study is a descriptive survey research design so as to
reduce dependence on only one source of getting information.
The researcher will employ a structured questionnaire as a research instrument in combination with
interviews and direct observation for collecting data from the sample that will be selected to
represent a population to which the data analysis findings can be generalized.
This research design is suitable for the study because it would allow respondents (women) to
present their opinion on the social protection initiatives and whether it has helped in combating girl-
child vulnerabilities in South Eastern states of Nigeria.
The research will be adopting a combination of primary data sources and secondary information
from journals, newspapers, textbooks and materials from internet services.
Qualitative and quantitative data will be used in a variety of ways including international reports
from Unite Nations on children’s vulnerabilities, and personal observation.

References
Hartl, M. (2006). Reducing Vulnerability of the Girl Child in Poor Rural Areas. Activities of the
International Fund for Agricultural Development. Rome: International Fund for
Agricultural Development.
International Labour Organization, (2013). “World Report on Child Labour: Economic
Vulnerability, Social Protection and the Fight against Child Labour”, International Labour
Office, Geneva. Retrieved on Feb. 28 2023 at: http://www.ilo.org/ipec/Informationresources
Nwagor, F. (2018). Traditional beliefs and girl-child education in Etche Local Government Area of
Rivers State. Unpublished B.ed project, department of early childhood/primary education,
faculty of education, Ignatius Ajuru University of Education, Port Harcourt, Rivers State,
Nigeria.
UNICEF (2002). Early Marriage: Who’s right to choose? Mission Statement Forum Marriage and
the rights of Women and Girls. UK
United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (2021). International Day of the
Girl Child. https://en.unesco.org/commerations/internationaldaygirlchild