The case against child marriage (2)

What are the implications of child marriage for the Nigerian nation?

First is the quite avoidable ill-health inflicted on our daughters by men who ought to know better. Early marriage denies a girl child her childhood, jeopardizes her health, interrupts her education, limits her opportunities, makes society discriminate against her. This leads to premature death of many girl children.

The risk of death to under-age wives during childbirth is extremely high. According to some reports, the mortality rate can be up to five times higher for married girls aged between 10 and 14 than for women of at least 20 years of age.

And when our highest legislative body had an opportunity to revise the Constitution and delete the clause which recognizes and accepts child marriage, these “distinguished senators” bungled. They have since treated the nation to a basketful of excuses: “we were blackmailed”; “I pushed the wrong button”; “I was confused, I didn’t understand the question”, and so on.

A couple of years ago Nigeria was globally ranked as one of the worst places in the world to be born. Next year young girls in a part of the country may be declared “an endangered species.”

Losing bright futures—is that our undeclared goal?