Governor Mohammed Bago-led Government of Niger State government has been tasked to as a matter necessity and concern, rise in defence of young girls being forced into marriages without their consent by their families.
The call followed an investigative report bt the International Centre for Investigating Reporting (ICIR), which documented how young girls are married off against their wishes in villages in Gbako and Lavun Local Government Areas (LGAs) of the state.
A legal practitioner & gender activist, Yewande Ogundipe, who led the call for the enforcement of child rights laws and punishment of offenders during an anti-corruption radio programme, PUBLIC CONSCIENCE, produced by PRIMORG, Wednesday in Abuja, said Governor Bago should in the interest of fundamental rights of the girls ensure that perpetrators of the illegal act are sanctioned.
Ogundipe lamented that despite orientation and reorientation over the years, the situation was getting worse due to a lack of consequence for those forcing underage children into marriage, stressing that the way out is “sanctions and enforcement.”
She stressed that some sections of the Nigerian Constitution had not helped the fight against forced marriage in the country saying; “it on one breathe prohibits and on another supports child marriage,” allowing some people to exploit the constitutional lacuna and continue marrying underage girls.
In her words; “The constitution of Nigeria in use currently is not helping the matter. There is more to be done. There are a lot of dead letter laws. Child rights laws have expressly prohibited marrying children, but who has enforced them? Who has been jailed for marrying a child? The constitution is confused about the issue.
“Every state in Nigeria should be made to ratify and domesticate child rights law, have your own child rights law that will protect the children better, NGOs should go to the grassroots and deal directly with women and children in distress, let them know if this (child marriage) happens to call this phone number, we would come and rescue you, there is a level of fear and compliance when they know an organization is involved.
“Lawyers in Niger state, what are you doing about child marriages, have evangelism concerning this issue. It’s a fight for all,” Ogundipe said.
Similarly, a senior investigative journalist with The ICIR, Olugbenga Adaniki, revealed that young girls interviewed during the investigation had terrible experiences, adding that some resorted to spending days in forests to escape their abusers.
According to him, “In some cases, parents of the victims hypnotize their children to make them sleep with the man they have been married off to.
“What the abuse young girls are facing through forced marriages is worrisome and happening not only in the northern part of the country but also in other regions. There should be a national campaign against child brides.
“Niger state government can also deploy carrot and stick approach by rewarding communities that deliberately work towards eliminating child marriage while sanctioning those found culpable,” he stressed.
Adaniki therefore called on Governor Bago to frontally tackle the spate of forced marriage by sanctioning perpetrators of forced marriage, stressing that it will deter others with such intentions.
Adaniki also called for the collaboration of faith-based organizations and religious leaders against the unlawful act, insisting that the political will of the state governor to punish offenders of child brides will send the right signal.
The investigation also revealed that both Child Rights Protection Agency in Niger state and Bida Emir’s Palace alluded that cases of child marriage are recurrent in the state.
