Children’s Parliament Raises Alarm Over Child Marriage

Members of a child rights group identified as the children’s parliament have raised an alarm over the surge in the rate of child marriage in some parts of the country for economic gains.

Naija News reports that the group said this at the roundtable organised yesterday by Save the Children International (SCI) in commemoration of the 10th anniversary of the International Day of the Girl Child.

A girl champion from Yobe state, Khadija Badamasi, said “Yobe State, where I hail from, due to poverty, has the largest number of child brides in North East Nigeria. In my community, most people are farmers, and due to poverty, parents borrow money to cultivate their farms.

“During harvest, if the father is unable to pay back the loan, a father usually takes the decision to give out his daughter in marriage, regardless of her age, most times, to a man old enough to be her father or grandfather.

“This girl bride is treated like a slave with no respect of any kind because of how she was betrothed.

“Girls in my community face a lot when it comes to early and forced marriage. Child marriage has caused more harm than good in my society today. It violates children’s rights and places them at high risk of violence, exploitation and abuse,” Badamasi said.

According to her, girls with disabilities are more challenged, adding that the Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) worsened the plight of girls around the world and took away important gains made over the last decade.

SCI Nigeria’s director of advocacy campaigns, communication and media, Amanuel Mamo, appealed to governments at all levels to develop and fund national action plans to end child marriage and other forms of violence against children.

He said “Nigeria is among the countries with the highest number of child marriages and out-of-school children, as the number of girls marrying each year is estimated at 12 million – two million of them married before their 15th birthday.”

While commending states that have passed the Child Protection Law, he urged others to follow suit.