By Juliana Taiwo-Obalonye, Abuja
In commemoration of the 2025 International Day of the Girl Child, the Women Advocates Research and Documentation Centre (WARDC) has called for action to address the silent crisis of period poverty affecting millions of Nigerian girls, especially in rural areas.
Aligning with this year’s theme, “The girl I am, the change I lead: Girls on the front lines of crisis”, WARDC stressed the urgent need to break the stigma around menstruation and ensure dignity, health, and justice for girls.
WARDC, a leading advocate for gender equality and the rights of women and girls, highlighted that despite progress made in education and health, many girls still lack access to sanitary products, adequate hygiene facilities, and menstrual education. This deprivation leads to school absenteeism, shame, psychological trauma, reproductive infections, early school dropouts, and child marriage. The organisation noted that in Nigeria, as many as 25% of schoolgirls do not have access to safe menstrual hygiene products, with conditions worsening in underserved rural communities where water and sanitation infrastructure is scarce.
Notably, WARDC praised Bauchi State for pioneering the establishment of the first Menstrual Bank in Nigeria—an innovative initiative providing free sanitary products to girls in schools and communities, which has shown promising results in increasing school attendance and safeguarding girls’ health. WARDC urges other states to replicate this model to ensure no girl is left behind.
In its statement, WARDC called for immediate government action including the passage of a National Menstrual Health Policy and Law, stronger protocols in schools to prevent and report sexual violence, increased budget allocations for girls’ health programmes, community sensitisation with male engagement, and improved data collection for research purposes. The organisation stressed that empowering girls with dignity and health tools is key to unlocking their leadership potential and societal progress.
WARDC’s Founding Director, Abiola Akiyode-Afolabi, who signed the statement, concluded: “When girls are empowered, societies thrive. Girls are not just vulnerable victims of crises—they are leaders, innovators, and agents of change. To truly lead, they must be equipped with education, safety, and health. It is time to break the silence, fight stigma, and protect every girl’s right to live with dignity.”
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