By Kirsten Okenwa
It gathered momentum and silently died out. The catch phrase: “please give the girls pens instead of penis.” Yet, there’s no better time than now to scream it from the rooftops.
Living in Northern Nigeria has made me somewhat thick skinned to girl-child brides. I do not cringe anymore when I pass them on the streets, or in the markets or malls. I am sure many citizens are like me. We have grown callous to this evil, and often look the other way. I used to be very vocal about my displeasure in child marriage and the resultant health and psychological problems. Now, I just try.
Recently, the Katsina Governor, Aminu Masari, assented to the Child Protection Bill. The State House of Assembly had earlier passed the bill which it said will protect children from abuse. It, however, disclosed that the legislation will not control the age of marriage for Muslim children.
This implies that though the Child Right Protection Bill defines a child as a person below the age of 18 and seeks to protect them from abuse, it will still not protect certain underaged persons from being married off. Previously, the House Committee chairman on the Child Protection Bill, Musa Nuhu, said passage of the bill will end the prevalence of child rape, child labour ”and forced and underage marriage in the state.”
Section 29 (4) of the Constitution for instance defines “full age” to mean age eighteen and above. Section (4) (b) further reveals that: “a woman who is married shall be deemed to be of full age,” this section according to public affairs analysts has generated arguments in some quarters to the effect that once a child is married, she is deemed to have become an adult.
Katsina State which is the home state of President Muhammadu Buhari is one of the northern states affected by child marriages and street children (Almajiri) menace. Child marriage continues to be one of the greatest barriers that prevent girls from realising their full potential. It curtails their education, exposes them and their children to increased risks in childbirth, and limits their opportunities for the future.
Many young people in Africa are however at the forefront of ending this practice. Below, is the remarkable mission of a young lady, Maryam from Northern Nigeria where only 4% of girls complete secondary education. She is campaigning to end child marriage and sexual abuse, and to ensure girls have access to education and reproductive rights. Writer, singer, reporter and leader, Maryam uses her voice to hold governments accountable.
Maryam from the Save the Children Foundation:
“I am campaigning to end to child marriage and sexual abuse, and to ensure girls have access to education and reproductive rights. For the past four years, I have worked with various organisations and the media to promote the well-being of girls. I organise discussions with adolescent girls where they talk about issues they face. I use my voice to hold government accountable. I produce songs and speak at forums on girls’ health and education. I am a youth reporter and the leader of the Chibok girl’s ambassadors, where I organized marches demanding the release of the Chibok girls.
I would like my community to change the mind set about educating girls because educating and empowering girls is one of the best ways to eradicate poverty. I would also like my community to change their views on child marriage, because it leads to many health challenges for girls.
I am calling on our leaders to include us when making decisions that affect our lives. I urge them to set up programs that will remove social barriers that limit us or hurt us, and to establish laws and policies that protect our rights.
I will be 30 when the Sustainable Development Goals will end. This means my generation is responsible for holding leaders accountable for delivering these goals. By investing in my health, my education and my decision making capacity, the cycle of poverty can be broken and all of the sustainable development goals can be achieved simply by empowering me to reach my full potential.”
Conversely, the Saudi Ministry of Justice has banned marriage of persons under 18 years. It also set 18 years as the minimum age for marriage. The Minister of Justice and Chairman of the Supreme Judicial Council, Sheikh Walid Al-Samaani, issued the new directive in a circular sent to all the courts in The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
It is noteworthy that Islam originated from Saudi Arabia and twice in a year Nigerian Muslims particularly the wealthy and politicians visit the country for Hajj and Umrah pilgrimages. Also the Saudi government is notable for its strict compliance with welfare of citizens. The country’s oils revenue is well utilized for the benefit of Saudi Arabians.
Furthermore, unlike Nigeria where girl child education is still a struggle in the North, young Saudi women are among the most educated in the Muslim world. Despite laws that require women to have a male guardian – a restriction that generally hampers their social mobility and access to jobs – young Saudi women are more educated than their male counterparts. As of 2010, about a third (35%) of Saudi women ages 25 to 34 held at least postsecondary degrees, compared with 28% of men, according to a Pew Research Center report.
In December 2018, Nigerian media reported that a man in his 70s had married a 15-year-old girl in Niger State. Photos of the couple – posted on social media – sparked outrage across the country, and inspired a group of three teenage girls to start fighting back.
Kudirat Abiola, 15, Temitayo Asuni, 15 and Susan Ubogu, 16 set up a non-profit organisation called It’s Never Your Fault and chose the issue of child marriage as their first campaign: #raisetheage. Through an online petition, #raisetheage is calling for the Nigerian government to increase the age of marriage in all states to eighteen years old and for this law to be fully enforced. The petition has already amassed more than 115,000 signatures and continues to gain momentum.
Speaking in support of the campaign and petition, Hussaini Abdu – Plan International’s Country Director in Nigeria – said: “Child marriage has a devastating impact on children’s lives – particularly on the lives of girls. It not only robs them of their rights, but also of their childhoods.
“In Nigeria, 43% of girls are married off before their 18th birthday and 17% are married before they turn 15. A girl who is married before the age of 18 is more likely to drop out of school, to become a child mother, to die during pregnancy or childbirth, and to be trapped in a lifetime of poverty. She is also more likely to be psychologically and economically dependent on her husband and in-laws, and therefore unlikely to realise her true potential.”
There are many other voices calling for an end to child brides.
The late Kwegyir Aggrey’s quote: “If you educate a man, you educate an individual but if you educate a woman, you educate a whole nation,” still rings true.
Hopefully Nigeria will get it right someday.
