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.