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WINET moves to end child, forced marriages in Ebenebe Community in Anambra State
BY: Sandra Ani
Women Information Network, an Enugu based Non-Governmental Organization, recently consolidated its campaign targeted at ending community acceptance of child and forced marriages in Ebenebe community in Awka North Local Government Area of Anambra State.
The one -year project is a product of a baseline survey carried out by WINET in 2016 to determine the veracity of the information within its disposal that Ebenebe was among the communities endemic with child marriage.
The baseline survey did not only reveal the truth but also disclosed the many factors responsible for this, top among which was the cultural practice called “Tum, Num”, a tradition which compels a man or boy who impregnates a girl to marry her, regardless of age.
This was identified as being in violation of the provisions of the Anambra State Child Rights Law 2006, which prohibits child marriage and betrothal among other protective provisions, put together in the overall interest of the child.
WINET had earlier organized separate dialogues with the men, the women, the male and female youths of the community to teach them the provisions of the Child Rights Law, CRL of Anambra State of 2006, which many of them had contravened ignorantly.
A town hall meeting was also organized recently for all the segments of the community already trained to advance the course of the campaign, which has as its title “The Right to be a Girl”.
Addressing the gathering, the Executive Director of WINET, Mrs. Miriam Menkiti, appreciated the measure of support the organization had enjoyed from the locals since the commencement of the campaign.
Represented by Mr. Nnadozie Oshigbo, the WINET Executive Director re-echoed the essence of the project, funded by a Spanish Non- Government Organization, Mundo Cooperante, which is to abolish the practice of “Tum, Num” in Ebenebe, as it undermines the dignity of the teenage girls, who most often are forced into marriage, even against their interest and consent.
She explained that the campaign is not to undermine the culture and tradition of the people but to help the society to catch up with the realities of the time.
Mrs. Menkiti charged the people of the community to work together to abolish the traditional practice of “Tum, Num”, which derails especially the young girls from pursuing and fulfilling their dreams and ambitions in life.
The WINET Executive Director pointed out that the event was to validate all the commitments made by various gender groups during previous dialogues.
She further explained: “The overall goal of the project is to end community acceptance and practice of girl child and forced marriages in Ebenebe. The practice of Tum, Num whereby some girls under eighteen years are given out in marriage or forced into marriage is prohibited by Anambra State Child Rights Law 2006. At the end of each of the dialogues, the girls, male youths, women and men agreed on some of the practices that the Anambra State Child Rights Law prohibit. Today, all of you as community members have gathered to validate those things you agreed on during the dialogues to confirm that your community will no longer encourage girl child and forced marriages”
The Legal Consultant to WINET, a former Solicitor General and former Chairperson, International Federation of Women Lawyers, FIDA in Anambra State, Barrister Mrs. Tina Emekekwue, explained to the people that every child has rights and obligations under the constitution of Nigeria, especially under the Child Rights Law, CRL, and such rights must be respected.
She enumerated the rights to include: the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion, which forbids parents from imposing their will and choices on their daughters especially the teenage ones.
She further explained:
“The right to dignity of the child says nothing should be done to affect the dignity of the child negatively. Rather, help him or her to be somebody in life, who you can proudly call your child. Every child is free from any discrimination no matter the circumstances of birth. Whether given birth to in the house of the father of the girl or abducted or otherwise. A child has right to education, freedom of association, right to private and family life, right to survival and development. The child equally has right to dignity and should not be maltreated for any reason. Even the unborn child has right to be protected against harm, and none should encourage abortion as it is a contravention of the law. A child also has right to parental protection and maintenance. Also, a girl child is forbidden from Female Genital Mutilation, FGM”.
The President General of Ebenebe, Hon Paul Nnatuanya, who was represented by the Secretary, Mr. Charles Onyebuchi, extolled WINET for the campaign and appealed to everyone in attendance to spread the good news across the nooks and crannies of the community.
The President General also charged parents to stop at nothing in ensuring that their children grow to become useful to themselves, their families and the society at large.
The occasion featured question and answer session while the people again pledged their commitment to ending “tum num”, which fuels forced marriages among teenage girls.
With the momentum on display across gender divides in the community about the project, Tum, Num may soon lose its appeal and efficacy as the Anambra State Child Rights Law has made better provisions for the protection of the girl -child particularly those who are being coerced into marriage at their teenage ages.
The Enugu State government has inaugurated a steering committee to eliminate Gender-Based Violence, GBV, in the state, declaring zero tolerance for the social malaise.
The inauguration took place at the Government House Enugu.
The panel, which is chaired by the Commissioner for Children, Gender Affairs and Social Development, Mrs. Ngozi Enih, draws its membership from the Nigeria Police Force, Ministry of Agriculture and Agro Industrialisation, Ministry of Local Government, Rural Development and Chieftaincy Affairs, Ministry of Human Development and Poverty Reduction, Ministry of Trade, Investment and Industry, Ministry of Justice, Ministry of Health, Ministry of Education as well as the Civil Society.
Inaugurating the panel known as the Steering Committee for Strengthening Institutional and Community Responses to End Gender-Based Violence/Domestication of Enugu State Gender Policy using the Oputa Panel approach, Governor Peter Mbah restated his administration’s commitment to not bringing perpetrators of GBV to book, but also putting in place proactive measures – activities, infrastructure, and systems in place to prevent them.
Mbah, who was represented by the Secretary to the State Government, Prof. Chidiebere Onyia, said, “We take gender-based violence seriously. We have zero tolerance for it, and in Enugu State, we are ready to go the extra mile to deal with it.
“If you notice, the government has selected people that are very committed to this goal. This is not an activity where we just want to check-off the list. We will track this. We will monitor this, and we will have quarterly engagements on the successes that this particular committee has achieved in terms of reference that we are going to send.
“We will tighten those terms of reference indicators, so that we monitor what we are doing both in terms of cost input and the value added. It’s very important to us. Many people will be involved – civil society, the police and various ministries.”
He however, said that the effort was to protect everyone, men and women alike, as GBV was not restricted to any gender.
“The whole idea is to hold people responsible that are involved in matters relating to gender violence and deter people that by culture or by association get involved in that, protect women, protect our children, and in the case of violence against men, protect our men because most times we misconstrue gender violence to mean women, but it can also be men too.
“We encourage our men to speak out and to make sure they understand that the policy that Enugu State is soon going to domesticate is for everyone, and not only for the female gender,” he stated.
In her remark, Mrs. Enih, explained that the Oputa Panel approach was inspired by the need to cover all local peculiarities in domesticating the policy on GBV, restarting government’s confidence in the members of the panel.
“The approach we are going to use is the Oputa Panel approach, and in the Oputa Panel approach, we are going to tour the 17 Local Government Areas to get firsthand information about what our people are going through because policy is meant for the people, and a policy should suit the people.
“Again, every community has its peculiar problems, so that’s why the government decided that if we have to domesticate the gender policy, we have to hear from the people who own the policy and know the changes that they desire to see. That is the reason we are using this approach.
“The committee members are to also serve as judges. As we gather this information from our people, we will come back to tailor it in a way to suit the people of Enugu State, and then our policy is ready.
“We want the people to know that there is a gender policy for them. I can assure you that when the people are aware that there is such a policy, they will seek for the enforcement of that policy. So, this is not going to be one of those policies that will just lie on the shelf,” she said.
Digital solutions provider, Globacom, has congratulated Christians in Nigeria on this year’s Easter celebration, and urged them to emulate the noble qualities of Jesus Christ.
The company, in a goodwill message to the Christian faithful in the country, lauded their perseverance through the Lenten period which preceded Easter. It enjoined them to always promote the ideals of selflessness, love and peace among all as a way of demonstrating the virtues of the exemplary life of Jesus Christ.
“Peace, love and sacrifice are the central message of Easter. Christ offered himself in atonement for the sins of the world and he lived a life which made Him an eternal symbol of peace and goodwill for mankind”, Globacom added.
The company enjoined all Nigerians to share in the lessons of promoting selflessness, a necessary ingredient in the growth and development of every society. It also enjoined all Nigerians to join hands to make Nigeria a better place for all.
Easter is celebrated yearly at the end of the Lenten season of fasting and prayer considered as a ritual of purification for the Christian faithful. It also precedes the crucifixion of the Lord Jesus Christ on Good Friday and His eventual resurrection on Easter Sunday.
The company assured its customers of seamless voice, data and Short Messaging Service (SMS) during and after the Easter celebrations, while urging them to avail themselves of the various data and voice offerings on the network.
The Guild of Private Broadcast Managers has extended its heartfelt congratulations to the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) as it celebrates its 70th Anniversary.
In a congratulatory message signed by the Guild’s National President, Ambassador Patrick Uzoyi-Peters, JP MNGRM, the guild described the milestone as a testament to the NUJ’s unwavering commitment to upholding press freedom, journalistic integrity, and the advancement of democracy in Nigeria.
“For seven decades, the NUJ has played a pivotal role in shaping the media landscape, advocating for the rights and welfare of journalists, and ensuring that the voice of the people remains strong and unyielding. Your resilience, professionalism, and dedication to ethical journalism have been instrumental in fostering transparency, accountability, and national development”.
Celebrating this historic achievement, the Guild’s President, Uzoyi-Peters recognized the sacrifices and contributions of journalists across the nation who work tirelessly to inform, educate, and empower society.
The Guild reiterated it commitment towards collaborating with the NUJ in promoting responsible journalism and strengthening the media industry for the greater good.
While wishing the NUJ continued success, growth, and greater impact in the years ahead, President Uzoyi-Peters prayed that the anniversary serve as a renewed call to uphold the principles of truth, fairness, and press freedom in our collective pursuit of a more informed and just society.
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