Women

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Nigerian women bare their fangs and demand from national and state legislators immediate passage laws that will protect women and girl-child’s rights

|  By Chinwe Okafor   |  Aug. 5, 2013 @ 01:00 GMT

WOMEN in Nigeria are up in arms against the Senate over its endorsement of underage marriage. The Women Arise and Campaign for Democracy, a non-governmental organisation, has joined forces with other well-meaning Nigerians in condemning the Senate for not deleting Section 29 (4) (b) of the 1999 constitution as amended. On Thursday, July, 25, he group organised a one-day stakeholders’ meeting in Lagos, to restate its position for the protection of Women and Girl-Child’s Right.

In her keynote address, Joe Odumakin, president of Women Arise Initiative and Campaign for Democracy, said “we have a duty to discuss in an open and frank manner, ways to arrive on measures to stop the evil senators in their tracks like those courageous men and women who held the banner of freedom against fascism. We owe it a duty to the Nigerian girl-child to uphold her, preserve her future and save her from the health hazards of early marriage, our slogan must be, ‘they shall not pass’,” she said.

The introduction of religion as  a tool of confusion by Senator Ahmed Yerima which led to a second vote that ultimately defeated the popular votes that supported the deletion of the obnoxious provision of Section 29 (4) (b) is very worrisome and a cause for serious public concern. The stakeholders’ meeting was held basically to mobilise an existing popular opinion against the actions of those that are bent on using the platform of the Senate to advance the violation of the girl-child’s rights.

After exhaustive deliberations, the participants who included Oby Ezekwesili, former minister of education and chairperson of the meeting, issued a strongly-worded communique to make their demands. It said, “Whereas the idea of reviewing the 1999 constitution such that it can genuinely be a people’s constitution is a welcome development and an important democratic enterprise; whereas Section 29 (4) (b) has always been part of the 1999 constitution; whereas  there was no  bill proposing the legitimization of child marriage; whereas the Senate Committee on the Review of the 1999 constitution in its wisdom rightly and patriotically recommended that Section 29 (4) (b) of the constitution should be deleted.

“Whereas Section 29 (4) (b) of the 2999 constitution is a violation of the rights of the girl-child  to the enjoyment of her youth, and her rights as guaranteed by various international, regional and National conventions; whereas the initial votes by Senators were favourable to the renunciation of the obnoxious section of the 1999 constitution: whereas based on the insistence of Senator Ahmed Yerima, a second vote altered the previous overwhelming majority decision to delete Section 29 (4) (b),

“We unequivocally demand the deletion of Section 29 (4) (b) of the 1999 constitution as originally proposed by the Senate Committee on Constitution Review and that State Houses of Assembly that are yet to domesticate the Child’s Rights Act should immediately domesticate and fulfill their obligations with regards to international treaties and regional conventions on women without further delay. Nigeria as a responsible member of the international community, should immediately domesticate and fulfill its obligations with regards to international treaties and regional conventions on women without further delay and the Violence Against Persons Bill pending before the National Assembly and the Gender Equal Opportunity bill before the State Houses of Assembly.

All known violators of the Child’s Rights Act and Laws in all states of the federation must be prosecuted to serve as deterrence to others while women organisations and all supportive civil society organisations, community-based organisations and social organisations will form a broad-based coalition to continually monitor the National Assembly and the State Houses of Assembly in order to ensure the deletion of Section 29 (4) (b) so as to ensure protection of the girl-child and women in general. Girls and Women issue which has come to the centre of public agitation should be mainstreamed into all aspects of public policies. We adopt the letter delivered to the leadership of the Senate by Gender and Constitution Reform Network.”

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