Challenges and Opportunities Empowering Girl Children: The Case of Indigenous Women Among Konso Nation in South West Ethiopia

Abstract

The Konso people are among Cushitic-speaking nations who live in south west Ethiopia where traditional leadership gives dominant role for men while very insignificant role for women. The objective of this study is to assess the problems of these girl children and women in the area, to quantify the oppression and indicate the solution. This area particularly keeps this 50% of the population in the house to work household activities. Girl children have no chance to go to school and women allowed to work in houses. Beside women participate in local markets to subsidize their family. Nevertheless, the society gets meager attention for education. Qualitative following descriptive approach, interviews and focus group discussion were implemented for primary data gathering. Data were analyzed thematically through social, economic and political dimension. The study revealed forced marriage, not letting girls to go school and unequal asset sharing among families which usually boys have the privilege. As a result, Konso women and girl children are not becoming competent with men and boys respectively. Currently this situation has now changed slightly and women started to participate in modern administration system at kebele, woreda and zonal levels. Girl children started to join schools. However, this is just a start. More scale upping the situation at wider range is indispensable. This study recommends empowerment of the society, particularly women and girl children, awareness creation, joint continuous efforts through intervention and support from both government and non-governmental organization in the form of economic assistance, political and social intervention.