Child marriages key driver of adolescent pregnancy, says Minister of Women Affairs

The Honourable Minister of Women Affairs, Barrister (Mrs) Uju Kennedy-Ohanenye stated that the practice of child marriages not only undermines human development and well-being of the child, but is also a key driver of adolescent pregnancy.

The Honourable Minister of Women Affairs, at the dialogue, held in Abuja weekend said child marriages increases the risk of Sexually Transmitted Diseases (STD), truncates a girl’s childhood, creates grave physical and psychological health risks, while also robbing her of internationally recognized human rights.

She stated further that the Dialogue is imperative as ending child marriages require the consent of all those involved, including fathers, religious and traditional rulers as well as community leaders.

She observed the need for some cultural norms to be reshapened through collaborative engagements and religious teachings that prioritize the protection and well-being of Nigerian girls in order to ensure a brighter future

The Minister who added that the Renewed Hope Agenda of the present Administration aims at giving every Nigerian, especially the youth, an opportunity to strive for excellence, called on governments at all levels as well as stakeholders, to identify strategies that will be developed to address the challenge.

She explained that one of the major causes of child marriages in many societies is poverty. To break the cycle of poverty therefore, programmes are needed to educate and empower women to earn and support their families, the Minister added

Barrister Kennedy-Ohanenye informed that it is also in line with this that the Ministry under her watch has restated its commitment to the development of children, women and the vulnerable in the society so as to help them develop their potentials, not only in line with the policy thrust of the present administration but also with global realities.

She commended the United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF), United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), Religious and Traditional Institutions, Nigerian Governors Spouses Forum and other relevant Organisations for efforts been made at their various fora towards finding far-reaching solutions to child marriages in the country.

Earlier in his  welcome address, the Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Women Affairs, Ambassador Gabriel Aduda, stated that the UNFPA statistics show that with all the efforts so far made to stop the practice in Nigeria, only about 5 percent results have been achieved

He therefore called on participants at the Dialogue to brainstorm with a view to proffering better measures that will lead to the end of the practice.

Let us unite in our commitment to building a future where every child’s potential can flourish and be brought to limelight, unhindered, untampered with the shadows of child marriages, he said.

Ambassador Aduda commended UNICEF,  UNFPA and other stakeholders for their unflinching support to the campaign while also thanking President Bola Ahmed Tinubu in particular, for creating an enabling environment to safeguard the life and well-being of every Nigerian girl-child

In a goodwill message, the UNICEF Country Representative, Ms. Cristian Munduate attributed the continuous practice of girl-child marriage in Nigeria to the lack of adequate knowledge on its consequences on the girl, her family and the society at large

While pledging the Organization’s total commitment to the eradication of the practice, she called on government at the National, State and Local Government Levels to make concerted efforts towards enlightening the populace  on the dangers of the practice with a view to protecting the future of the girl-child

Highlights of the occasion include, Panel discussions with relevant stakeholders as well as goodwill messages by Leaders of Religious bodies, Traditional Rulers, the Nigeria Governors Spouses Forum and the National Council of Women Societies (NCWS), among others.