NASS urged to resolve early marriage law

Members of the International Federation of Female Lawyers , (FIDA) have called on the National Assembly
members to revisit the law on early marriage and amend  the fixed age of sexual consent which the 7th senate passed on 5th June, 2015.

  The Enugu state chairman of FIDA, Nkiru Ugwu-Nwabueze, made the call in an address presented at the 2015 Day of African child held at Filborn hotel, Enugu. She lamented that the 7th senate fixed the age of sexual consent at 11 . In her words, 'recently on June 5, 2015, the 7th Senate had inadvertently fixed the age of sexual consent at 11 after hurriedly passing the sexual offences Bill which prescribes life imprisonment for certain offences including rape or deliberately infecting another person with HIV/AIDS, sponsored by senator Chris Anyanwu from Imo state. The Bill limits sex at 11 years.'

  The FIDA, Enugu branch chairman went further to say that, 'it is not yet clear if president Buhari will veto the law based on this lapses but again , this is a far cry from implementing the African children's charter on child right and we do not want to legalise pedophilia.'   She said the Theme of this year's event is ' child marriage'.

  Barr Nwabueze lamented that every year, 15 million girls under the age of 18 becomes brides and that an average of 40,000 girls everyday  are not in school. The legal practitioner also described child marriage as an 'epidemic' and called on government to adopt and enforce the legal age of marriage and protect children as minors in accordance with the convention on the rights of the child. She added that government need to equip young people appropriately to be able to sustain themselves so that they can reach their full potential.

  The guest speaker at the occasion, Dr Felicia Anyogu of Law faculty, Nnamdi Azikwe University, Awka, speaking on African charter on the right and welfare of children, said it is the African version of the convention on the rights of the child which takes into consideration the perculiar economic, social , and cultural situation in which children in Africa are developing. It describes a child as any person below 18 years. It prohibits child marriage and mandates the state parties to make legislations, and institute means of eliminating child