Still on the Child Marriage Debate… Contrary to what some major Nigerian newspapers are reporting, there was no bill to legalize child marriage before the National Assembly. If there is one, they should mention the title of the bill and person sponsoring the bill. The recent campaign and petition against child marriage by some “activists”, though well intentioned, misses the mark. It is shameful that we can neither trust our politician nor our press on this issue. The senators mischaracterized the issue and the press misled Nigerians through bad reporting. This controversy is unfounded and unnecessary. It is sad and disappointing that our legislators, people in charge of making laws for the development of our country, don’t even understand the provisions of the constitution they wanted to change. Only God knows the other provisions they changed or refused to change without proper debate or understanding. It is equally disturbing how some “activists” are using the child marriage debate to demonize Muslim and northern senators in the National Assembly because they voted against the amendment. I think what the “activists” are doing is a very bad advocacy strategy. It will have backlash and unintended consequences. In the process of this naming and shaming, they are alienating the people they are supposed to work with. We should remember that there are more Muslim senators in the Senate. We will need them to get many things done. Age of marriage is one out of many things that need reform in Nigeria. Instead of insulting and demonizing them, we should make better use of that energy in educating and engaging them in a dialogue. Framing issues in religious terms, “us against them,” will not yield any fruit. I have worked with many international organizations like GTZ, USAID, and UNICEF on issues affecting women and children. One important lesson that I have learned in my work with different communities across Northern Nigeria is that people respect their religion and culture, no matter what you think of it as an outsider. Nobody will listen to you when you disrespect their religion and culture. You can enact all the laws you want. That will not change anything if the community refused to cooperate or if they see you as a threat or an enemy. I cannot imagine how somebody in Lagos or London can solve the problem of child marriage (or any problem) in my village without engaging members of my community. Change must come from within. No doubt, “child marriage” has many negative medical, economic and social consequences. It is just one out of the many social problems that we need to address. Law is just one out of many tools that can be used. So long as we refused to address the root causes of the problem. We are not going anywhere by just enacting laws. Every parent wants his/her child to succeed in life. We must address the problem of poverty, ignorance, poor access to education and basic services. These are the things that make child marriage appealing to some parents. Gamawa
Posted on: Wed, 24 Jul 2013 23:38:00 +0000
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