The contradictions and loopholes in our laws and customs around consent, marriage and child rights are making life miserable and dangerous for too many of our girls. In my view, nothing will change without purposeful and determined leadership – which would start from updating our legislation in line with current knowledge about what is healthy and safe for the girl-child…
In my work as a doctor, I often see evidence of the damage done to girls by early marriage, early pregnancy and sexual abuse. That harm is both physical and mental, and it leaves lasting scars, yet too many families refuse to talk about or acknowledge these realities. Eventually, her mother came and gave consent for the procedure to correct the fistula, which was provided at no cost. I was struck by the rather stark irony that this young girl was deemed old enough by her community to be a mother and wife, but not old enough to consent to life-saving treatment for injuries she sustained in childbirth.
To delve into the subject, we may well give some thought to basic rights. Nigeria is a signatory to the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, which defines a child as. Nigeria has also ratified the African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child, which categorically states in Article 21 that,
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