Broken lives: Nigeria's child brides ..
The Times...
Child brides in Nigeria are often crippled by childbirth. Their injuries lead to incontinence, shame and exile
In a small, dimly lit brothel in the red-light district of Kano in northern Nigeria nearly all the young prostitutes lined up on plastic chairs are runaway brides.
“I was married when I was 15 years old. I was forced into it,” said Hadiza.
Whenever her husband attempted to consummate the marriage, Hadiza would flee to her parents’ home, but they kept returning her to the man to whom she had been married off.
Finally her husband raped her: the attack was so violent that Hadiza was sent to hospital.
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“We have no choice. If you’re not married by the time you’re 16, people think there must be something wrong with you,” she said. The girls around her nod silently - some of them had been forced to marry when they were only 12.
Northern Nigeria has one of the highest rates of child marriage in the world: nearly half of all girls here are married by the age of 15.
The consequences have been devastating. Nigeria has the highest maternal mortality rate in Africa and one of the world’s highest rates of fistula, a condition that can occur when the pressure of childbirth tears a hole between the vagina and the bladder or rectum. Many women are left incontinent for life. Up to 800,000 women suffer from fistula in Nigeria.
“They marry young, they get pregnant young, they deliver young and they pick up the fistula,” said Kees Waaldijk, the chief consultant surgeon at the Babbar Ruga hospital, the world’s largest fistula clinic, in the northern state of Katsina.
Most cases happen to young girls during their first pregnancy, and nearly half the patients at Babbar Ruga are under 16.
Dr Waaldijk operates on up to 600 women a year, with no electricity or running water. He sterilises his equipment in a steel casserole pot that sits on a gas camping stove. Rows of girls and women - some as young as 13 - lie listlessly on rusty hospital beds, each connected to a catheter.
The smell of urine is overpowering and many of the women have been cast out from their communities. Some have been divorced by their husbands - it is estimated that up to half of adolescent girls in northern Nigeria are divorced. “If nothing is done the woman ends up crippled for life: medically, socially, mentally and emotionally,” Dr Waaldijk said.
The Nigerian federal Government has attempted to outlaw child marriage. In 2003 it passed the Child Rights Act, prohibiting marriage under the age of 18.
Vocal opponents to the Act include village heads and elders - almost all men - highlighting the tribal and cultural constraints that hamper attempts to stamp out child marriage.
“It is important we have the right to marry our girls young so there is no risk of pregnancy outside marriage. It is to preserve the purity of our girls,” said Usman, an 84-year-old man from the village of Yammaw Fulani, who married a 14-year-old girl four years ago. “We will never accept this law,” he said.
Unreported World, Nigeria: Child Brides, Broken Lives will be broadcast on Channel 4 tonight
Alexa: ok, i was thinking that in Saudit Arabia, with such a conservative society, women in colledge could only study the Qur'an, thks for the clarification :)
Quenyaqueen: I didn't wanted to mention Western to prevent some folks from saying "how bad is western education".
I think that they would be well received in the western world. Yes, even in the West, there are countries that are made by men to the men but where women are also respected, even if it's nothing written, even amongst criminals, the ones that abuse women and mainly child have an hard time in prison because the others won't forgive such acts.
Yes, they seam to be living in the dark age.
Brit: I think that the 1st thing they should do is splitting religion from politics, a bite like Turkey (on a 1st stage), later they may become as most western countries, without official religion giving the liberty to choose to their citizens instead of imposing but it's all a matter of education and culture.
Only God Can Judge Me
الله فقط يمكنه محاكمتي
I am you and you are me, if you love i love, if you suffer i suffer
أنا أنت, و أنت أنا, إذا أحببت نفسك أحببت نفسي, إذا عانيتَ عانيتُ
This can be addressed, but the "will" is not there. Too many self interests.
As a start, the government should pass legislation to "outlaw" marriage under a certain age. Then , the difficult part - They should ENFORCE it with stiff sentences.
compulsory education for all may reduce all problems in the world.
However educated persons also becomes criminals and fanatics and when that happens capturing and punishing them becomes very difficult.
I am not necessarily talking about academically educated. I think if people (mainly women)in some of these countries that are "for men, "ran by men" were to be shown that they are a contributing and valuable part of that society then they could empower themselves to take on these bullies. (and thats just what they are)and who better to help educate them then westren women! after all that they have gone through. Not every country like japan, US and many others have a written or unwritten law that prevents woman and girls from their equal freedoms, whether it be a law of religion, state or government.
Of course they won't allow that to happen! at least not for another 1000 years, seems like these arses are just getting started.
I am always excited to go to sleep! In anticipation of the new experience I will find awaiting me.
mmmmm...i haven't even read it but when Nigerians are concerned I know its bad.......no apologies either.....
md: Doesn't need to be western education, Japan isn't western and they have an high rate of education.
Alexa: Do you mean that they only study the Qur'an at university or that she choose to study the Qur'an instead of other courses she could have choosen?
Brit/kenyaqueen: "The problem is that "educating" the peasants - both men and women - will lead to those in power losing what they have.."
...and they can't allow that to happen, can they?
Only God Can Judge Me
الله فقط يمكنه محاكمتي
I am you and you are me, if you love i love, if you suffer i suffer
أنا أنت, و أنت أنا, إذا أحببت نفسك أحببت نفسي, إذا عانيتَ عانيتُ
Ugh!
"Everything in this book may be wrong." Illusions: The Adventures of The Reluctant Messiah by Richard Bach
You get my vote...
The problem is that "educating" the peasants - both men and women - will lead to those in power losing what they have..
As long as men are the ones educating in these "so called society" there will never be any education. Women in such countries that allow these atrocities need to be empowered & educated by western society. Obviously, they aren't getting it from the women/men in their own society.
Lucky for those men i am not the leader of their countries! I'd behead them all! I am not talking about the head on their shoulders either :)
I am always excited to go to sleep! In anticipation of the new experience I will find awaiting me.
"Highly educated", Alexa, not highly educated.
They are "highly educated" Islamic scholars in many cases.
Do you mean "Western" education, platao? I guess there are highly "educated" people in different societies who think it is perfectly right to marry a young girl.
I'm with Brit and gypsy, this is lack of education.
Only God Can Judge Me
الله فقط يمكنه محاكمتي
I am you and you are me, if you love i love, if you suffer i suffer
أنا أنت, و أنت أنا, إذا أحببت نفسك أحببت نفسي, إذا عانيتَ عانيتُ
marriages with tarnished fundamentals will eventually tail off. as for the child who won the divorce, I've read something about her that she's one of the women of the year along with Jolie. very brave indeed.
cheers,
paul
It's not just the marrying young.. Factors such as "marital rape" and lack of medical facilities is also an issue.
However, I still say that education and lack of knowledge about the matter is the main issue..
And even if there were health problems, why should these idiots care? It's not their problems.
Wasn't someone arguing with me in another thread that there are no health problems related to marrying young?
The men are not endangered. The men make the laws. The men will continue doing what they do.
Unfortunately the human race isn't exactly a kind one. Are we really better than animals, or would it be fair to say that animals are sometimes better than humans?
It all goes back to education and justice. The people must be educated regarding the dangers caused by such marriages and the government needs to ensure that the laws are enforced..
This is barbarianism..
ya, I oprah had this lady on her show. She helps fund the clinic that catherien started. I still feel sad to this day when I think of these women and the "shit" men want from them.
I am always excited to go to sleep! In anticipation of the new experience I will find awaiting me.
this wonderful lady, Catherien Hamlin, has been working for years in Ethiopia regarding this issue
http://www.fistulafoundation.org/