Making mothers out of children

Written by Ruth Olurounbi

Despite the fact that there are medical, psychological, social and legal moral justifications, not to mention international outcry, against child marriage, the Nigerian Senate, last Monday, legalised child marriage, thereby increasing the risks of children developing sexual health complications and contravening the Child Rights Act. RUTH OLUROUNBI examines the medical, psychological and social implications of child marriage and how the child rights have been grossly violated by the Senate’s singular action. Child marriage is not only wrong, it is dangerous. It exposes a young girl to profound health risks from early pregnancy and difficult childbirth and it exposes her baby to complications of premature birth —Anthony Lake, Executive Director of UNICEF. HAUWA Salidu from Ibeto, Niger State, was 16 years old when she got married two years ago. She was very much in love with 18-year-old Hassan, her husband. Three months after her marriage, she fell pregnant and she was elated. But during the pregnancy, she developed complications. Eventually, her baby died in her womb but she did not know that she was carrying a dead baby in her womb for more than a month. Even with the telltale signs, her family members thought the spirits were afflicting their daughter. She was eventually taken to the hospital on the insistence of a community midwife, who told the family they would lose their daughter if they refused to act soon. At the hospital, it was discovered that the foetus had died for more than six weeks and, as a result, her womb had been ruptured. She was operated upon as was asked not to conceive another baby until she was six years older. Hauwa could have died but more importantly, the life-threatening situation could have been avoided, if she had not married early. There are many other cases like Hauwa’s and other serious ones, even those who married way younger than she did with grimmer outcomes. While some children have lost their lives while bearing children, some have been condemned to live their lives in the shadows after developing vesicovaginal fistula (VVF). These and many more are some of the pathetic experiences of young women who have been condemned to harzadous life as a result of being married early. These facts are before the the Senate of Federal Republic of Nigeria but the distinguished chose to ignore these chilling facts last Monday when they approved the marriage of children irrespective of their ages. They went ahead to proscribe the law stipulating 18 years as the age any Nigerian child is qualified to engage into a conscious agreement of marriage. The approval came when former Zamfara State governor and current senator, Sani Yerima, whose marriage to a 13-year-old girl drew widespread outrage in 2009, asked the Senate to reverse a vote that appeared to outlaw underage marriage. Yerima contended that the provision, which stipulates a certain age for women before getting married, was at variance with Islamic law and biased. “The constitution says the National Assembly shall legislate on marriage except those under Islamic rites. Islam says once a woman is married, she is of age,” Yerima had argued. By legalising underage marriage, the country is invariably bringing to reality the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA)’s prediction that more than 140 million girls would marry between 2011 and 2020. The UNFPA, in a joint press release with the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), had predicted that if current levels of child marriages should hold, 14.2 million girls annually or 39,000 daily would marry too young, adding that of the 140 million girls who would marry before the age of 18, 50 million would be under the age of 15. Senate law versus International declaration Legally, the Senate approval of child marriage is a contravention against the child rights act which has been passed in Oyo State, former Vice Chairperson of FIDA, Mrs Victoria Famakinwa told Sunday Tribune. Child’s Right Act 2003 stipulated that every child has the right to be protected from physical and mental violence, injury or abuse, including sexual abuse, rape and sexual exploitation, the right to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of health, the right to rest and leisure, and to participate freely …, the right to not be separated from parents against the child’s will, the right to protection against all forms of exploitation affecting any aspect of the child’s welfare and the right to eventual employment. A lawyer in Ibadan, who doesn’t want her name in print explained to Sunday Tribune that the approval that children under the ages of 18 are allowed to be married is a contravention of the Child’s Right Acts even though the Islamic law allows for it. “The Islamic law is a law that governs a section of the people who practices the religion, and not everybody. If the Senate throws a blanket on the age required to contract a marriage agreement, that is a violation of other non-Muslims’ right,” she noted. Speaking on child marriage, the lawyer said that legally, a child is any person who is under the age of 18. She said that Section 21 of the Child’s Rights Act 2003 prohibits child marriage, while quoting the said section as: No person under the age of 18 years is capable of contracting a valid marriage and accordingly, a marriage so contracted is null and void and of no effect.” She added that there’s a provision of punishment to whoever promotes child marriage. Such persons, she said, are liable of an offence and if found guilty, are fined N500, 000 or five years imprisonment or both. When asked if the Senate is liable of any offence, she said “yes, absolutely.” Paedophile or marriage? When asked what child marriage means, a lawyer in Abuja, Mr Eze Chukwuemeka, in a telephone interview with the Sunday Tribune, said “child marriage occurs when one or both parties are under the age of 18. The emerging consensus of international human rights standards is that the minimum age of marriage should be set at 18 in order to protect underage children from child marriage, although the practice affects girls more frequently and often coincides with other rights violations, including but not limited to domestic violence and impeded access to reproductive health care and education.” Despite the physical damage and the persistent discrimination to young girls, little progress has been made toward ending the practice of child marriage, UNICEF said. Recently, Dr Babatunde Osotimehin, the Executive Director, UNFPA said “child marriage is an appalling violation of human rights and robs girls of their education, health and long-term prospects. A girl who is married as a child is one whose potential will not be fulfilled. Since many parents and communities also want the very best for their daughters, we must work together and end child marriage.” Although Yerima had argued from religious point of view, some religious leaders have contended that the responsibility is not only to teach the people the tenets of their religions, but also to cater for the people’s welfares. An Islamic spiritual leader in at Mokola Area, Ibadan, Oyo State, Alhaji Abiodun Abdulrahman, told Sunday Tribune, that just as he would not argue against the Islamic tenet that stipulates the basis of marriage, children, he said, have no business being married. “Children are supposed to be in school, learning how to better their lives and not to be married off. Honestly, what does a child know about marriage?” he queried expressing his worry that “by the Senate’s action, our children, who are already vulnerable to sexual abuse have now become more vulnerable. This law has stripped our children of little protection they had and I am very sad about this.” When asked if he could give out his 13-year-old daughter in marriage, he gave an emphatic “no!” “I cannot give my daughter out in marriage, even if she is 18. At 18, she’s probably in the university. Besides, there are health complications for underage deliveries and I don’t want that for my children. I want them to be happy and very happy, not tormented by the prospect of any marriage. Although I recognise that I cannot protect them from all harm, I also know that it is my responsibility to protect them as much as I can. Underage marriage falls under that category.” Living in health bondage Beyond the religious or cultural stipulations, human rights activists are canvassing that the welfares of people should come first. It is a common belief among some cultures that child marriage does protect girls from promiscuity and disease. But the UNICEF has recorded that married girls are more likely to become infected with STDs, in particular HIV and human papilloma virus (HPV), especially if their husbands keep multiple sex partners or engage in unprotected sex. For instance, a recent study in Kenya showed that married girls had a 50 per cent higher likelihood of becoming infected with HIV than their unmarried counterparts. This risk was 59 per cent higher in Zambia. In Uganda, the HIV prevalence rate for girls 15–19 years of age was 89 per cent higher for married girls between the ages of 15–29 years of age than single girls, who recorded 66 per cent. All of these studies showed that girls were being infected by their husbands. “A hypothesis relevant to this finding is that a young girl may be physiologically more prone to HIV infection because her vagina is not yet well lined with protective cells and her cervix may be more easily eroded. Risk for HIV transmission is also heightened because hymen, vaginal, or cervical lacerations increase the transmission rate, and many of these young girls lose their virginity to HIV-infected husbands. Also, STDs such as herpes simplex virus type 2 infections, gonorrhea, or chlamydia enhance girls’ vulnerability to HIV,” US National Library of Medicine National Institutes of Health. Dr Oluwaseyi Lawal, an obstetrics and gynaecology expert in Abuja told the Sunday Tribune that aged 15 to 20 are twice as likely to die in childbirth as those in their 20s, and girls under the age of 15 are five times as likely to die. “Prolonged and obstructed labour, which is common among pregnant young adolescents, can lead to hemorrhage, severe infection, and maternal death. This is especially true for girls who experience additional pregnancy-related complications such as eclampsia. Those who survive may suffer from obstetric fistula, a debilitating condition that causes chronic incontinence and results in shame and social isolation,” he added. Socially, according to a social worker, Ms Monica Ladipo, girls who are married at a very young age experience related educational, social, and personal disadvantages, among which are: greater control over the young bride by her husband and his family, including restrictions on her freedom of movement and her capacity to seek health care and family planning services; increased likelihood that she will experience domestic violence and sexual abuse; little if any schooling and little possibility of pursuing educational opportunities; limited capacity to enter the paid labour force and earn an independent income; greater personal insecurity in the face of the possibility of divorce or early widowhood; and social isolation from her own family, friends, and other social networks, according to the International Women’s Health Coalition We must rise to protect our children, Nigerians react But since the Senate took the controversial decision, many Nigerians have taken to the social media network, especially, Twitter, to protest what they termed official pedophilia in the constitution. The outcry, which trended under the hashtag “#ChildNotBride” was led by some notable Nigerians. Mrs Nike Adeyemi, wife of the Daystar Pastor, Pastor Sam Adeyemi, with Twitter handle @NikeAdeyemi: “Let’s speak out against injustice, let us love mercy, let’s do what is right @omojuwa @obyezeks @sam_adeyemi #ChildNotBride. @emmaben30 wrote, “if you want to convince us that we need more women in politics, you’ve got to show promise. “Any senator that voted for a child to be sold into marriage should lead by example... Sell your kids at 13 #ChildNotBride. @finegurl: “a 13-year-old girl is supposed to be playing suwe and “ten-ten”. Not some sick pervert ramming shegu into her. #Childnotbride. @ebonyoma said “this is not about feminism or religion. It is about justice and human rights. Protect our girls! #childnotbride #endpaedophilia @GLOHF: It’s not enough to discuss the issue, let’s TAKE ACTION #ChildNotBride #Underage marriage sign the petition and Sarah McGrath, with the handle @McGrathSarah wrote, “every 3 seconds, another girl becomes a child bride.” via @TheElders http://elde.rs/2AT #DayoftheGirl #childnotbride. Some other people just expressed their disgust at the development without the help of a hashtag. Niki Cheong with Twitter handle @nikicheong wrote, “this glorifying of underage marriage should upset all girls and piss off all men who have mothers, sisters, children and female friends.” Pastor of Business Church, Pastor Tope Popoola, too reacted on his Facebook. Captioned “Nigeria on my mind”, he wrote that “when you make crooked men rulers, do not expect them to draw straight lines! What does one make of the Senate legalising marriage to children simply because one of its own is guilty of breaching international statutes on the matter? When will this nonsense stop? If there is indeed a coalition of civil society groups, they must rise up and speak with one voice NOW!” Another person, Mr Olaitan Okedeji, wrote that “this arrant senselessness must be challenged more than fuel subsidy was and immediately. And not only by civil groups, but professional organisations and all sane people! Madness.” Mothers are not left out of this protest. An uneducated mother in Beere, Ibadan, who was asked what her stance was on the child marriage issue, was shocked when the meaning of the approval was interpreted to her in Yoruba. She responded with a curse. “aye o ni yen eni toun o. Nitori Olorun. Ki ni omodun metala mo nipa ile-oko. Omo odun metala ye ko wa ni ile iwe ni. Olori buruku loni toun to ni ki omodun metala lo le oko” (meaning “it will not be well with such proponent. For God’s sake, what does a 13-year-old girl know about marriage? A girl of such age is supposed to be in school. Whoever proposes such is a never-do-well”). Another mother, an educated one this time, said she could not comprehend the outcome. Mrs Adeoba Ogundaisi, a teacher, said “sincerely, I cannot comprehend raising any child below the age of 18 and ask her to get married. I think that those people who passed that law are only protecting themselves against the law. They know that they are paedophiles and at the same time, they don’t want to be punished for their crimes. It is inhuman to legalise rape. Because as far as I am concerned, that it what it is, rape.” Though the outcry is still ongoing, Nigerians are waiting patiently to see whether the rule of reason will prevail over the flimsy ones of lascivious men. But as the UN has often insists, every girl has a right to life and make her choice. “No girl should be robbed of her childhood, her education and health, and her aspirations. Yet today millions of girls are denied their rights each year when they are married as child brides,” Dr Michelle Bachelet, Executive Director of United Nations (UN) Women, said, while Executive Director of UNICEF, Anthony Lake, added that “child marriage is not only wrong, it is [also] dangerous. It exposes a young girl to profound health risks from early pregnancy and difficult childbirth and it exposes her baby to complications of premature birth.” The Nigerian girl deserves better deal from her own father and her country. http://www.tribune.com.ng/news2013/index.php/en/component/k2/item/17199-making-mothers-out-of-children