A crop of young girls drawn from different parts of Idi-araba, a suburb of Mushin local government area of Lagos State, on Saturday vowed to resist and speak against child married in their communities.
The girls and their parents took the decision after being sensitised to the dangers of child marriage by the Centre for Women’s Health and Information (CEWHIN), a non governmental organisation based in Lagos.
During the programme themed ’Advocacy for the Prohibition of Child Marriage’, the girls recounted the ordeal of underage girls who got married.
“I know of an underage girl who got married and suffered Vesico Virginal Fistula (VVF) and later died. It was quite horrible. Thank God for this sensitisation because it has opened my eyes to things I didn’t know before now.
Programme Officer of CEWHIN, Tolulope Aderibigbe, described the programme as a huge success, adding that the organisation focused on child marriage because it is rampant in Lagos despite the Child Rights Law in the state.
“We went to schools and found that child marriage is a common thing. The Boko Haram incident has also not helped matters as many underage children are found pregnant or carrying babies.
“This is why we decided it is an issue we have to tackle especially among northern settlers in Lagos State. We are at Idiaraba today and would be going to Agege subsequently,” she said.
The woman leader of the community, Hajia Amina Umar, frowned at child marriage, describing it as a practice that must be completely eradicated from the society.
