Save the Children (SCI)Nigeria, has urged governments at all levels in Nigeria, to develop a national action plan toward ending child marriage and other forms of gender-based violence against children.
Mr Amanuel Mamo, SCI Nigeria’s Director of Advocacy Campaigns, Communication and Media said in Abuja, at a media roundtable in commemoration of the International Day of the Girl, 2022.
Mamo said that the SCI wanted the government to increase funding and efforts to address gender-based violence against girls.
“Ten years ago, governments and people working for children, gender equality and girls’ rights around the world agreed to dedicate one day annualy to celebrate girls’ achievements and bring attention to the challenges they are faced with.
“How far have we come since the first International Day of the Girl? Despite promises by world leaders, girls stand at the frontline of the world’s most pressing issues, and child marriage continues, all over the world.
” Before COVID-19, global estimates of the rate of child marriage was decreasing but the world was still a long way off meeting the Sustainable Development Goal deadline to end child marriage by 2030.
“The number of girls marrying each year was estimated to be around 12 million; and 2 million of those girls were married before their 15th birthday.”
He said that Nigeria also has one of the highest number of child marriages and out-of-school-children globally.
A Girl-Child Advocate, Miss Khadija Badamassi, said that investments in girls’ rights remained limited and girls continued to face many challenges to fulfill their potential.
“Girls in my community face a lot when it comes to child early and forced marriage, child marriage has caused more harm than good in my society today.
“Child marriage violates children’s rights and places them at high risk of violence, exploitation, and abuse.”
Miss Madina Abdulkadir, lawmaker representing Dikwa Constituency of Borno in Children Parliament and Chairperson of the Committee on Child’s Participation ,said the girl child, just like the boy child, had a right to a safe and educated life and deserved to live a healthy life.
Abdulkadir, also Girl-child Champion for SCI, called on the government and stakeholders to raise awareness on the important role a girl child played in the society.
She stressed the need to promote safe social media platforms to engage girls across all platforms and put an end to stigmatisation.
