The passage of the Violence Against Persons Prohibition Law (VAPP Law) in Enugu State, Nigeria

Enugu State lawmakers in April 2019 passed into Law the Bill seeking to eliminate violence against persons here in Enugu State. The Bill, which was a private member bill, meant to eliminate all forms of violence against persons in both public and private lives, was sponsored by Hon. Chukwuka Eneh representing Udi South Enugu State, Nigeria. This Bill effectively criminalizes various acts of violence like child marriage, female Genital Mutilation (FGM), rape, unfair widowhood practices, wife battery etc here in Enugu.

What not too many people know was that they were various organizations here in Enugu State, Nigeria who played various leading roles to ensure that this Bill was passed into law. It was indeed appalling and disheartening to see that after this Bill was passed that no major radio, television station and print houses made allusion to this great contribution. This is indeed sad because I for one know that if not for these organizations, the passage of this Bill would have been greatly jeopardized here in Enugu.

As the chairman of the Legislative Advocacy Coalition (LAC), which was a coalition of organizations here in Enugu that advocated for this passage. I will not fail to mention that organizations such as Women aid collective (WACOL), Society for the Improvement of Rural People (SIRP), Tamar SARC etc played a great role in this regard. They all worked together and came under one umbrella called the Legislative Advocacy Coalition (LAC).

They did not just dedicate their time, but also their resources in ensuring that this Bill was passed. As the chairman of this great coalition, I therefore wish to commend everyone and not just the foregoing who played one role or the other in ensuring that this Bill was passed. You all are the real heroes!

Written by:

Mr Chukwudi Ojiedo (Chairman LAC)

                             Using Soccer to help change norms around Female Genital Mutilation / Cutting (FGM/C)

Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting is a practice, which is deeply rooted in not just patriarchy and traditions here in Nigeria, but in also various misconceptions. One of such misconceptions here in Nigeria is that FGM/C curbs the girl child promiscuity. According to 28TOOMANY (UK), 20 million women and girls currently have been either mutilated/cut here in Nigeria. It is also projected that if nothing is done that by 2030, an additionally 20 million women and girls will undergo FGM/C in Nigeria. FGM/C is a social norm in Nigeria in the sense that many families engage in it simply because others are doing it. It is a practice, which communities have come to accept as their culture and as their way of life.

Late last year in Nigeria, Society for the Improvement of Rural People (SIRP) an organization committed to ending FGM/C here in Nigeria carried out a project called “Kick out FGM/C”. This project was aimed at using soccer as a tool to change norms around FGM/C in Nigeria. This project was implemented in Akwuke community of Enugu State, Nigeria. Before SIRP embarked on this project, they noticed that first and foremost most interventions around FGM/C in Nigeria has always involved the older generation more than the younger generation. Also, that most interventions have always involved the use of various traditional methods i.e. training workshops, dialogue sessions, sensitization programs etc. Little or nothing was done with regards to using various youth friendly approaches like soccer to ending FGM/C here in Nigeria. SIRP therefore decided to implement this foregoing project for one major reason and that is:

·         To increase the involvement of youth in ending FGM/C in Nigeria:

Since the world has a target to end FGM/C by 2030, there is greater need to more than ever involve more youth in this our shared vision. This is because youth are the ones to end FGM/C by 2030. Sadly enough, most interventions around FGM/C have always been boring, uninteresting and repetitive for most youth in Nigeria. Hence their reluctance to engage in various end FGM/C campaigns here in Nigeria.

To further buttress this point, SIRP conducted a research in Akwuke. The purpose of this study was to determine the level of awareness and involvement amongst youth in Akwuke to issues relating to FGM/C. In this particular study, SIRP adopted a descriptive research design. Specifically 2 research questions were posed to guide the study. A multi-staged sampling procedure using simple random sampling technique of balloting without replacement was used. We selected a sample of 210 youth accessing the only market in the community.

The instrument for data collection was our self-developed questionnaires. The data collected were analyzed using figures and percentages to answer the research questions. Below are some of the questions we asked them and some of the answers we got from them;

·         Question 1: Have you ever heard of FGM/C?

Yes	%	No	%
10	4.76	200	95.2

·         After we explained the meaning of FGM/C to them we then asked them;

·         Question 2: Would you love to see FGM/C ended in your community?

Yes	%	No	%
190	90.47	20	9.52

·         From the foregoing, one can see that only 10 youth out of the 210 youth, we gave out these questionnaires to have heard about FGM/C. Also 190 youth out of the 210 youth, we gave out these questionnaires wanted FGM/C to be ended in their community.

After the foregoing research, SIRP decided to adopt a youth friendly approach that will be both engaging and interesting for these youth and that approach was soccer. SIRP organized a 5 a- side soccer tournament for 6 youth teams from the community. At the end of the tournament, the youth team from Atako community of Akwuke won the tournament and therefore became our end FGM/C champions at the community.

At the end of the tournament, the following results were achieved:

·         There was an increase in the level of awareness amongst youth from the baseline of 15% to 45% at the end of the project.

·         There was an increase in the rate of involvement amongst youth in end FGM/C issues at the community from the baseline of 10% to 50%.

·         A reduction in the FGM/C rate at the community from the baseline of 65% to 45% at the end of the project.

The foregoing figures were derived from the series of interview sessions; we had with various youth from the community at the end of the project. One major lesson learnt from this project was that there is a huge number of youth who genuinely want to be involved in this ongoing activism to end FGM/C by 2030, but are not currently doing so much in this regard. This is largely due to the fact that most NGOs, anti-FGM activists, the Government in Nigeria etc has either failed to see youth as key allies in this our shared vision to end FGM/C by 2030. We therefore call for the use of various youth friendly approaches, which will be both engaging and interesting for youth in ensuring the involvement of youth in various end FGM/C activities.

What we are currently doing to promote the economic empowerment of young women and girls subjected to Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting (FGM/C) in Nigeria

The United Nations, at its General Assembly in November 2014, declared 15th July of every year as World Youth Skills Day. To commemorate this day, Society for the Improvement of Rural People (SIRP) and a Youth Economic Empowerment (YEE) platform called Unskilled to Skilled (U2S) will like to talk about what we are currently doing in this area here in Nigeria. This is especially with regards to promoting the economic empowerment of various young women and girls subjected to FGM/C in Nigeria.

Currently in Nigeria, 20 million women and girls are projected to have undergone one form of FGM/C or the other. This has led to not just a great health crisis here in Nigeria, but also a great economic problem for various FGM/C survivours in Nigeria. One might ask how FGM/C affects young women and girls economically. But the answer to this foregoing question is not far-fetched. When young women and girls are mutilated/cut they are married off immediately to various older suitors. This is done because FGM/C serves as a precursor to the girl child early marriage here in Nigeria. After she is married off, she invariably quits school so as to tend for her family. When she quits school, this automatically affects her chances of being gainfully employed in the future. This is one major way in which FGM/C affects young women and girls economically.

In tackling this problem, SIRP recently in conjunction with U2S adopted an innovative approach, which involves not just organizing various skill acquisition trainings for young FGM/C survivours, but also pairing them up with already established businesses here in Nigeria. We define YEE as the process by which youth gain the ability not just to make decisions for themselves, but also for others around them. We strongly believe that the end-result of every YEE program should be the financial independence of every youth.

With the foregoing definition in mind, we are currently working assiduously to ensure that various young women and girls that have been subjected to FGM/C are not just skilled, but are also financially independent here in Nigeria. So far we have used this innovative approach in more than 5 communities here in Nigeria. The result of this has been indeed huge and heart-warming. It definitely feels so great to see the huge impact that this approach is having on various FGM/C survivours here in Nigeria. We are also on course to scale up this approach to reach more communities here in Nigeria. We are not just committed to ending FGM/C in Nigeria, but are also passionate about the economic empowerment of various FGM/C survivours in Nigeria.

Happy World Youth Skills Day to you all!

UTILIZING A U2S MODEL TO PROMOTING WEE AT AKWUKE COMMUNITY OF ENUGU STATE, NIGERIA

Women Economic Empowerment (WEE) is defined as the process by which women gain the ability to make decisions not just for themselves, but also for others around them. We strongly believe that the end result of any WEE should be the financial independence of every woman.  Any WEE program that does not lead to a woman’s financial independence does not cut it for us.

With the foregoing in mind, last week Unskilled to Skilled (U2S) model for economic empowerment was utilized by two Non-Governmental Organizations based here in Nigeria and they include: the Society for the Improvement of Rural People (SIRP) and Growing the Girl Child Initiative (GTGCI). U2S is a Youth Economic Empowerment (YEE) which caters for every unskilled and unemployed youth (ages 18-30) here in Nigeria.

U2S exists to reduce the rate of youth unemployment here in Nigeria, which currently stands at 23.1% and this according to the Nigerian Bureau of Statistic (NBS) translates to 16 million youth here in Nigeria. U2S doesn’t just seek to train various youth on various vocational skills, but also to pair them up with already established businesses here in Nigeria at the end of their training. This indeed marks a clear departure from other economic empowerment programs and models here in Nigeria. This is because U2S leads to every youth financial independence.

From the foregoing therefore, we were highly excited and elated when last week we in collaboration with SIRP and GTGCI organized various skill acquisition programs for various young women at Akwuke community of Enugu State, Nigeria. We trained them on how to make liquid soap, insecticides, buns, cakes, peanuts and puff-puff. The trained participants are already being paired up at the moment with various businesses here in Enugu State. This pairing will help them in growing both in skill and also in their earning power. Indeed this program was a huge success.

Our gratitude goes to SIRP and GTGCI who believed in us. Together we will definitely achieve WEE here in Nigeria.

               HOW FGM/C AFFECTS WOMEN AND GIRLS ECONOMIC GROWTH

Women Economic Empowerment (WEE) is defined as the process by which women gain the ability to make decisions not just for themselves, but also for others around them. Others here could include her immediate family, her friends, community members and the society at large. For a woman to be said to be economically empowered, she must have the ability to meet not just her own financial needs, but also the financial needs of others.

Sadly enough, in so many countries women and girls are not economically empowered. This is indeed sad because there are so many benefits to be gained, when women and girls are economically empowered. One of such benefits is that the family is better off. This is because women are naturally known to be more caring than men. When women are economically empowered, they naturally invest in their families than most men do. Also the society is better off no wonder a popular quote says “Empower a woman Empower a generation”.

Though there are so many reasons why women are not economically empowered, but one major reason which has not yet gained prominence is Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting (FGM/C). FGM/C is a practice which affects not just the health of every woman and girl child, but also her economic growth and development. In most climes, FGM/C serves as a precursor to the girl child early marriage. The girl child is mutilated and cut to keep her pure and chaste for any man who intends to marry her. This is majorly because of the misconception and myth that FGM/C generally curbs promiscuity. So an uncut girl is largely not wanted, because she is seen as not pure and chaste in the eyes of many men in the community.

After the girl child is mutilated or cut, then the next thing that the family does is to marry her off at a tender age usually between the ages of 10-16 years. When this happens, the education of such a girl is usually affected. She drops out of school to spend more time with her husband and also to take care of her children. It gets even worse when the husband tells her specifically never to think about going to school anymore. For such a girl that has dreams of maybe becoming a lawyer, doctor an entrepreneur etc she sees all these dreams fade away right before her eyes. This is because nobody would want to employ someone who is not educated.

In conclusion, it’s definitely high time we as end FGM activists and campaigners start looking at this area. This is because the impact that FGM/C has on the economic life of various women and girls is definitely so weighty.

THE IMPORTANCE OF USING YOUTH FRIENDLY APPROACHES TO ENDING FGM/C

Female Genital Mutilation and Cutting (FGM/C) is defined as the ritual cutting or removal of some or all of the external genitalia of a woman or girl. Globally, FGM/C is practiced in Africa, Asia, the Middle East and even in some parts of Europe. Globally, it is estimated that 200 million girls and women have undergone one form of FGM/C or the other. In Nigeria alone, it is estimated that 20 million women and girls have undergone one form of FGM/C or the other. This therefore represents 10% of the global total.

FGM/C poses serious physical and mental health risks for women and young girls. According to a World Health Organization (WHO) study, FGM/C can be likened to increased complications in childbirth and maternal death. Other side effects include severe pain, hemorrhage, tetanus, infections, infertility, cysts, urinary incontinence, psychological and sexual problems. FGM/C is also a fundamental Human Rights violation as it amounts to torture and also an inhuman practice. FGM/C also serves as a precursor to the girl child early marriage which has an effect on her education and also her chances of being gainfully employed in the future.

While there are so many approaches to ending FGM/C ranging from dialogue sessions, seminars, trainings, workshops, media, rallies, information, education and communication (IEC) campaigns etc. 

Various youth friendly approaches have greatly been neglected by various end FGM/C campaigners, activists, organizations etc. This is indeed shocking because there is a shared belief that youth are the ones to end FGM/C by 2030. If we are to achieve this, it is definitely high time, we start using various youth friendly approaches to increase the involvement of youth in this regard.

From the foregoing therefore, it is high time we start using various youth friendly approaches like sport, games, drama, art; music shows etc to take this end FGM/C message to youth. Youth are known to be energetic, vibrant and therefore need activities to put their energy into. In most of the activities, I have been involved in here in Nigeria; I have come across various youth who have confided in me that all these trainings, seminars were becoming so repetitive and boring to them. That it is high time, we start organizing various youth friendly activities for them. These words really made me to have a re-think and I said to myself that this is indeed one area, we as end FGM/C campaigners and organizations are getting it wrong.

In conclusion, I must not fail to commend some end FGM/C campaigners, organizations who are currently using various youth friendly approaches in their work to end FGM/C. But, a whole lot more are yet to start doing this. It is definitely high time, we start using various youth friendly approaches as a way to increase the involvement of youth in this our shared vision of ending FGM/C in our various communities of interventions. This is because; they are the ones to end FGM/C by 2030.

                                                   AKAWO SAVINGS

Although there are many ways in which one can save money, but I will like to discuss about one method that has over the years proved very much effective. This is not just for me but to also various small businesses here in Nigeria and that is Akawo savings.

Akawo savings is a system of daily savings operated by not just individuals, but also by organizations like micro finance banks etc. In Akawo savings, first of all it is important that you trust whomever you are entrusting your daily savings with. It is important you put your savings in the hands of credible organizations rather than individuals.

                                                       How it works

1.   You are expected to register with an individual or an organization running an Akawo business usually with a sum of 100 Naira.

2.     You are then given a form by them to fill.

3.   You fill in your details and also attach a passport photograph to the form and return it back to them.

4.    You are then given a card which will be yours for the entire duration of the year or more than in some cases.

5.   You are then asked how much you can be contributing to it on a daily basis. The minimum is usually 100 Naira.

6.      In a case, where you agreed to be contributing 100 Naira. You are therefore expected to be paying this sum on a daily basis throughout the year.

7.     At the end of the year, you can decide to collect back your savings or to still leave it with them.

N.B the owners of the Akawo business take your contribution fee for a day in a month. So in the foregoing case they make 1,200 Naira from you in a year.

This form of savings is particularly useful for both those who are not frugal in their spending and for those who always have money to spare.

                              WHY WOMEN’S RIGHT MATTERS?

    Women’s rights are important for so many reasons, but I will like to limit myself to two reasons:

1. Women’s rights are human rights: Every woman and girl in the world just like every man and boy has an inalienable right to live free from all forms of violence and discrimination. They have the right to be educated, empowered and to own a property. Also, they have the right to speak freely and to be heard. It was Hillary Clinton that said and I completely agree that “Human rights are women’s rights and women’s rights are human rights…let us not forget that among these rights is the right to speak freely and to be heard”. It is therefore indeed saddening to see women and girls being deprived of these inalienable rights on the basis of patriarchy and gender inequality.

2. Women’s right propels huge economic growth: It was the former Chilean President and the current United Nations Human Rights Commission (UNHRC) Head Michelle Bachelet that said “One of the factors a country economy depends on is human capital. If you don’t provide women with adequate access to healthcare, education and employment, you lose at least half of your potential. As gender equality and women’s empowerment bring huge economic growth”. The foregoing is indeed true. One cannot overemphasis on the fact that improvements in gender equality will generate more jobs and will increase a country’s GDP. Gender equality is indeed a major driver for economic growth.

                                                        AFRICA ARISE

We're all in a box, a box the system has created, to contain us all, so we don't see what's ahead.

And so they tell us, go to school, graduate, serve, then queue up on the unemployment list, if you're lucky get a job shortly after, or much longer, every month get paid, use your pay to pay bills the system has created and so the money flows right back to them, in fact, if you're being very compliant, you'll probably be in debt before the next pay comes along, a vicious cycle, on and on it goes, how comfortable we've become with the way things are, loyal lab rats, every experiment pushes us even further down into the box.

Who would save us from this box, the ones who make it out of this box, when they've seen the light,never come back, even when they do, they're no longer in the box, they become shareholders in the affairs of the box.

Sometimes though, someone tries to enlighten us of our situation, we listen for a fleeting second but then we quickly recover from all the big grammar and unrealistic views they share, we met things this way, no point trying to change them, is that even possible? Change? What's that?

I'm Amaka, I'm a young lady and in a few days time now, I would turn 23, I'm suffocating in this box, I'm sick of sticking to the status quo, I'm tired of feeling guilty because I want more, I want more because I know that there is more, outside this box, there's more, out in the open, there's so much more, it's x raised to the power of infinity.

I demand for more, not just for me but for others like me, if there's a future I can foresee for myself, it's life outside this box, out in the open, making mistakes, learning from them and making a lot more mistakes,as long as I don't stop doing. That's it, I want to actively do, to not be afraid of failure because who knows some day I may actually win, winning, that's not the point, its the experience I acquire in the process, the person I become.

An Amaka who isn't afraid, who's comfortable in her own skin, who can walk down the corridor alone with head held high, who like Faraday would try over and over again until the room lights up, who is not limited by my gender or account balance, an Amaka who is awake.

In summary, I would like to wake up and when I wake, I would like to wake Africa, she's slept for too long anyway.

Africa Arise!!!!

Written by Chiamaka Ohuobah

EXPLORING THE PHYSICAL AND PSYCHOLOGICAL IMPACT OF CHILD MARRIAGE ON THE CHILD BRIDE

ABSTRACT

Child marriage remains a prevalent issue across the Middle East, Africa and Asia. In Africa, child marriage is predominant in Niger, Chad, Mali, Ethiopia, Central African Republic, Mozambique, Burkina faso, Malawi, Gambia and Nigeria. It is widespread in these areas due to various forces that seem to encourage the practice. These forces include poverty, illiteracy, culture, slackness on the part of the Government with regards to providing structures for the implementation of the rights of the girl child amongst others.

This paper mirrors on the issue of child marriage in Nigeria; it seeks to explore the physical and psychological impact of child marriage on the child bride and proffer possible solutions to this issue.

INTRODUCTION

Child marriage according to United Nations Children Fund (UNICEF), is defined as the marriage between a girl or boy before the age of 18 and refers to both formal marriages and informal unions in which children under the age of 18 live with a partner as if married. UNICEF posits that Nigeria has the third highest absolute number of child brides in the world (3,538,000) and the 11^th highest prevalence rate of child marriage globally. It is rather unfortunate that in spite of the Laws and policies made by the Nigerian government in a bid to curb the issue and protect the rights of the vulnerable child, child marriage continues to thrive in Nigeria.  In Nigeria (especially in the northern part of the country), a lot of young girls below 18 years are usually married off to older men due to various forces that promote child marriage in the region. 

CAUSES OF CHILD MARRIAGE IN NIGERIA

Various factors have been found to contribute to the persistence of child marriage in Nigeria. These factors include:

● Poverty: Poverty has remained a deadly scourge in Nigeria despite the widespread resources abundant in the Country. Based on recent reports by the Brookings institution, data from the World Poverty Clock reveal that Nigeria has over 87 million people living in poverty. Many indigent families in Nigeria have been forced to marry off their young daughters as a means of escaping the pangs of starvation and poverty.

● Culture: Child marriage is seemingly promoted in certain parts of Nigeria due to the cultural practices inherent in such areas. Currently, the Child Rights Act (CRA) in Nigeria has not been domesticated by all the states in the nation since it is contrary to the Islamic Law provisions (Shari’a law) which are practised within some states in Northern Nigeria. While the CRA pegs the minimum legal age for marriage at 18 years, Islam does not provide a specific age that marks the end of the childhood and the commencement of adulthood. Rather, once a child begins exhibit the signs of puberty, she is considered ripe for marriage. Hence, in such places, the girl child may be married off as early as 9-12 years.

●Illiteracy: The National Commission for Mass Literacy, Adult and Non- Formal Education in 2018 reported that more than 38% (about 70 million) of Nigerians have been described as illiterates. Illiteracy has encouraged the persistence of child marriage in Nigeria. Generally, lack of education promotes ignorance and the continued practice of certain harmful traditional practices. Education is generally accepted as a veritable tool required for the enlightenment of people. 

Gender Inequality: The girl child is seen as inferior to her male counterpart in some communities within Nigeria. Hence, she is usually not offered higher education; rather she is viewed as a good that may be exchanged in return for livestock and wealth under the institution of marriage.

THE PHYSICAL IMPACT OF CHILD MARRIAGE ON THE CHILD BRIDE

The girl child is not physically and psychologically ready for marriage and its obligations. Thus, child marriage may predispose the child bride to certain serious health related problems. These problems include:

● Risk of sexually transmitted infections: The girl is at an increased risk of contracting a sexually transmitted disease from her husband who usually has other sexual partners/ wives. Since she is usually naive and uniformed at the time she is married off, she may be unable to take certain precautions to prevent her from contracting any of the sexually transmitted diseases.

● Risk for cervical cancer: Cervical cancer is a life threatening disease that is caused by a virus called Human Papilloma Virus. It is a sexually transmitted infection which has early sexual contact as one of its risk factors. The child bride is put at a greater risk of contracting cervical cancer because her reproductive system is said to be more vulnerable to the virus.

● Perineal lacerations: Child marriage subjects the girl child to traumatic sexual experiences as her immature genitalia may be torn or lacerated during sex and delivery, thus predisposing her to contracting bacterial, fungal or viral infections.

 ● Complications of labour and delivery: The child bride is at an increased risk of facing any of the complications of labour and delivery. These complications range from prolonged labour and obstructed labour to pre- eclampsia. Other complications include eclampsia, perineal lacerations, post partum haemorrhage, maternal distress and foetal distress. Some of these complications may lead to maternal or foetal death if not expertly managed.

● Fistula formation: A prolonged and obstructed labour may lead to the formation of an obstetric fistula. An obstetric fistula is a small hole which is formed between the vagina and rectum, or bladder as a result of child birth. This type of fistula may result in urinary or faecal incontinence and subsequently, social isolation.

Ultimately, the child bride is at an increased risk of birthing a still born or premature baby and dying during child birth. Thus, child marriage could lead to an increased rate of maternal and infant mortality.

THE PSYCHOLOGICAL IMPACT OF CHILD MARRIAGE ON THE CHILD BRIDE

Child marriage affects the child bride both physically and psychologically. Child marriage exposes the girl child to psychological trauma as she is not allowed to enjoy her childhood, rather, while her mates go to school in the morning and play at the playground at noon, she is forced to sit at home, saddled with the task of child bearing and rearing. Psychological challenges that may arise due to child marriage include:

● Depression: The child bride may be forced to face societal stigmatization associated with obstetric fistula. Obstetric fistula usually causes faecal and urinary incontinence, and incontinence may be accompanied by a stench. This may result in societal isolation and divorce, as her husband may not be willing to endure the stench. Being a divorcee in some Nigerian communities is considered shameful, therefore, the child bride may be further stigmatized for being sent out of her matrimonial home. In such situations, the mental health of the girl child is most definitely compromised and she may become depressed. Depression, if not diagnosed early and promptly managed may result in suicide.

● Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD): PTSD is a psychological condition that may be caused/ triggered by experiencing traumatic events. PTSD related to child marriage may occur due to physical and verbal abuse in such marriages. The child bride may exhibit abnormal levels of anxiety, sleeplessness, lack of concentration and persistent, obtrusive thoughts and nightmares about the trauma experienced. Like depression, if PTSD is not diagnosed and treated early, it may lead to suicide.

POSSIBLE SOLUTIONS TO THE PROBLEM

● Create awareness: The importance of creating awareness about child marriage and its negative consequences cannot be overemphasized. Campaigns and programmes should be organized in areas where child marriage is practised to enlighten the people about its ills and promote gender equality.

● Poverty alleviation: Poverty alleviation schemes should be introduced to stamp out poverty. Education, skills acquisition programmes and women empowerment schemes may serve as means of alleviating poverty in Nigeria. When poverty is eradicated, poor families wouldn’t see child marriage as a means of ending poverty.

● Free education programme: Formal education is considered expensive within some rural communities in Nigeria. Marrying the girl child off is preferred to spending the family’s meagre income on educating her. Therefore, when education is subsidized or made free in these areas, the problem of child marriage may be solved to an extent.

● Provision of structures for the implementation of policies and laws that protect the child: The Child’s Rights Act of 2003 should be domesticated and implemented by all the 36 states in Nigeria. Also, all the international instruments which have been ratified by the Nigerian government in its bid to protect the rights of the child must be implemented by the appropriate authorities. The Nigerian government must show its commitment to the fight against child marriage by ensuring that every right of the Nigerian child as enshrined in the 1999 constitution is not violated.

In conclusion, child marriage is a form of violation of the rights of the girl child. I believe that it is a subtle form of violence against the Nigerian girl child as it abruptly cuts short her childhood even before she understands what it takes to be an adult. It further cages her, thus preventing her from acquiring an education in order to make informed choices, earn a living and relate intelligently with her counterparts all over the world. It terminates her dreams and aspirations and offers her a very bleak future. Governments, NGOs, public organizations, private organizations and individuals must be wholly committed to scrapping out this injustice against the girl child, not only in Nigeria, but also in other parts of the world where child marriage continues to bloom. 

                         FGM AND THE LAW IN NIGERIA

INTRODUCTION

Currently in Nigeria, 20 million women and girls have been mutilated and yet there has not been a single conviction? This is indeed saddening to see. In this article, we will therefore be looking at some of the reasons for this. We will also look at a general overview of FGM in Nigeria with regards to the statistics, major causes etc

THE FGM STATISTIC IN NIGERIA

Globally, 200 million women and girls have been mutilated. In Nigeria alone, 20 million women and girls have been mutilated and this figure represents 10% of the global total. What this figure means in essence is that 1 out of every 10 mutilated girl or woman in the world is a Nigerian.

In Nigeria, the zones with the highest FGM prevalence rate are the South West and the South East.

SOME CAUSES OF FGM IN NIGERIA

There are so many reasons why FGM is practiced in Nigeria. It ranges from cultural reasons to its being used to curb illicit sexual appetites of women and girls in the country. But in this article, I will love to dwell on some of the reasons why it is practiced in Enugu State where I come from.

In Enugu State, FGM is normally practiced due to the patriarchal system which is obtainable in most communities in the State, which ensures male dominance over women. It is seen as a way in which the male folks subject and impose themselves on women.

Another reason is that FGM is also often considered a religious/cultural obligation e.g. rite of passage into adulthood, Female Genital Cutting as part of Naming ceremony etc. In most communities in Enugu State, FGM is usually carried out on the eight day after birth, to coincide with the child’s naming ceremony, which is a festive event with gifts and refreshments. The naming and cutting are linked. It has also been discovered that poor mothers cannot openly resist their girl children from being mutilated because it would also mean that there is no naming ceremony. All this has helped this practice to thrive in Enugu State.

LEGISLATIONS PROHIBITING FGM IN NIGERIA

Before the passing into law of the Violence Against Persons Prohibition Act (VAPP) Act in Nigeria. Most lawyers, NGOs and anti-FGM campaigners in Nigeria were relying on the Nigeria Constitution and on the Child Rights Act (CRA) to speak against FGM in Nigeria. But one sad thing about the two foregoing Laws is that it does not explicitly mention FGM as a criminal offence.

N.B It must also be noted at this juncture, that currently 13 States in Nigeria have their own State laws expressly prohibiting FGM. These States includes; Lagos, Osun, Ondo, Ekiti, Bayelsa, Ogun, Delta, Ebonyi, Oyo, Imo, Edo, Cross-River and Rivers State.

Now let’s look at some of the provisions in the Constitution and in the CRA as it relates to FGM though not explicitly;

1.      The Constitution: The 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (CFRN) which is the supreme Law of the land provides in Section 34 that “no person shall be subjected to any form of torture, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment”. FGM falls under the foregoing categories and thus can be punishable under this section.

2.      The Child Rights Act: The Child Rights Act (CRA), which was passed in 2003 in Nigeria also has some provisions that outlaws this practice. Section 11(B) of this Act provides also that “no child shall be subjected to any form of torture, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment”. However it must be noted that this Act is only applicable in only 23 States plus the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Abuja.

One particular thing you will note from the two foregoing provisions is that there is no mention of FGM. It was because of this fact that most lawyers, NGOs and anti-FGM campaigners in Nigeria rallied round and started to advocate for a Law which will specifically mention FGM as a criminal offence.

It was as a result of this push, that in 2015 under the Goodluck Jonathan’s administration that the VAPP Act was passed into law. This particular Act specifically mentioned FGM as a criminal act. It also made FGM and other forms of Gender based violence like rape, spousal battery, forceful ejection from home, harmful widowhood practices etc punishable offences in Nigeria. Apart from this, the VAPP Act also made provisions for the maximum protection of victims and also for the effective remedies for victims.

Section 6 of the VAPP Act provides for a set of punishments for FGM. Some of these punishments include;

I.            Anybody who performs or engages another to perform FGM on any person is liable to a term of imprisonment not exceeding 4 years or to a fine not exceeding N200,000 or to both.

II.            Anybody who attempts, aids, abets, or incites another to carry out FGM is liable to a term not exceeding 2 years imprisonment or to a fine not exceeding N100,000 or to both.

THE LIMITATIONS OF THE VAPP ACT

Three years after the passing into law of the VAPP Act, it is indeed disheartening to note that there has not been a single FGM conviction in Nigeria. The question that keeps agitating our mind is why is this so? In answering this question, we will like to categorize our answer into two major reasons.

1.      The applicability of the VAPP Act: Currently, the VAPP Act is only applicable in Abuja, Anambra, Oyo and Ebonyi State. What this literally means is that it is only applicable in 3 States out of the 36 States in Nigeria. Under our system, a Federal Law cannot apply in a particular State unless and until it is domesticated in that particular State.

This lack of domestication of the VAPP Act by several States in Nigeria then brings us to a recent issue which happened in Kwara State, Nigeria.  This issue made global headlines. Just last year in Kwara State, a facebook user from Kwara State called Alhaji Adebayo publicly advertised for a free cutting of girls in Kwara State. This case we heard was duly reported to the police, but up till now he has not been arrested. One major reason, why we think that he has not yet been arrested and duly prosecuted is because of the fact that Kwara State presently has not taken steps to domesticate this Act.

2.      Little or no awareness of this Act in Nigeria: Another major reason limiting the effectiveness of this VAPP Act is the fact that many Nigerians do not know about this Act. Currently in Nigeria, it is estimated that 1 out of every 100 Nigerians know about the existence of this Law in Nigeria. It is also estimated that only 10 out of every 200 Nigerians really know what this Act says or means.

To further buttress this point, we recently conducted a research in Nsukka Local Government Area (LGA) of Enugu State which is one of the 17 Local Government Areas in Enugu State, Nigeria.

The purpose of this study was to determine the level of awareness among Enugu citizens about the VAPP Act 2015. In this particular study, we adopted a descriptive research design. Specifically 3 research questions were posed to guide the study. A multi-staged sampling procedure using simple random sampling technique of balloting without replacement was used. We selected a sample of 210 women accessing various health services in the 35 public primary health facilities in Nsukka.

The instrument for data collection was our self-developed questionnaires. The data collected were analyzed using figures and percentages to answer the research questions. Below are some of the questions we asked them and some of the answers we got from them;

Question 1: Have you ever heard of the VAPP Act?

Yes	%	No	%
10	4.76	200	95.2

After we explained the meaning of this Act to them we then asked them;

Question 2: Do you think that this Law should be domesticated in Enugu State?

Yes	%	No	%
190	90.47	20	9.52

From the foregoing, one can see that only 10 women out of the 210 women we gave out these questionnaires to, have heard about the VAPP Act. Also 190 women out of the 210 women, we gave out these questionnaires wanted this Act to be domesticated in Enugu. Those that were against its domestication said that FGM is part of their culture and also that it helps to curb promiscuity among women and as such they are against its domestication in Enugu.

 CONCLUSION

In conclusion, we would really love to state that the onus now falls on the various State Governments in Nigeria, Donor Agencies, NGOs and also on anti-FGM campaigners in various States in Nigeria to push for both the domestication of this Act in their various States and to also raise public awareness of the existence of this Act in their various States.

Also, current advocacies by NGOs and anti-FGM campaigners against FGM in Nigeria should now be centered more on pushing for the domestication of this Act and also in creating more awareness of the existence of the VAPP Act in their various States. We seriously believe, that if we are able to achieve the foregoing it will go a long way in ending FGM in Nigeria by 2030.