WUNRN
Lagos, Nigeria, 17 July 2013 The Nigerian Feminist Forum
(NFF) is greatly concerned about the resolution by the Senate to alter section
29(a) of the Constitution which stipulates that a woman shall not be qualified
for marriage until she attains 18 years of age.
ThisDay, one of Nigerian’s leading
national newspapers June 17 deleting the section from the draft Constitution
yesterday, the Senate claimed that a woman is deemed to be of (full age) once
she is married irrespective of the age she did so”. This decision of the senate
in the ongoing constitutional review process will remove the age specification
of women who can marry and would further deem a woman to be of “full age” once
she is married, irrespective of the age she did so.
This action is a clear violation of Article
21(2) of the African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child which
prohibits child marriage and betrothal as well as Article 6 (b) of the African
Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights on the Rights of Women in Africa which
provides that the minimum age of marriage for women is 18 years.
This act also violates Section 21 of
the Child’s Rights Act of Nigeria which forbids the marriage of persons below
18 years and imposes a punishment of N500,000 or a 5 year jail term, or both;
Article 18 (3) of the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights; the
Conventions on the Rights of the Child and Article 27 of the African Charter on
the Rights and Welfare of the Child.
The Nigerian Feminist Forum and its
partners therefore call’s for the following:
(a) The National Assembly to
reconsider their resolution to remove the age limitation
(b) Calls on the African Commission
to urge the Nigerian Government to fulfill their obligations under the African
Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights; and under the African Charter on
the Rights and Welfare of the Child;
(c) That the essence and true
nature of the Protocol to the African Charter on the Rights of Women in Africa
is observed.
Let us all take part in this campaign
to protect the right of the girl child to an education and to reach the age of
maturity in a safe and healthy environment irrespective of which part of
Nigeria she is birthed.
For further details contact,
Gerldyn Ezeakile,
Nigerian Feminist Forum
Secretariat
16 Alhaji Bashorun Street, Ikoyi,
Lagos.
Email: nff@alliancesforafrica.org