The Kaduna State Government has reiterated its commitment to end child marriage by improving access to education, food security, and economic growth.

The deputy governor of Kaduna State, Hadiza Balarabe, said this at the inauguration of a two-day experience-sharing workshop on child marriage in Kaduna on Tuesday.

She said child marriage has been identified as one of the key challenges affecting the northern part of the country which portends negative consequences on education, sexual and reproductive health.

Balarabe said child and forced marriage are harmful and a violation of human rights, stressing the need to change the narrative towards ending the menace in the country.

“This will require that we terminate the root cause of the problem which has been proven that it will evolve, leverage and harmonise instrument of law; and will need the good intending of leaders, all socio-cultural institutions and stakeholders,” she said

Balarabe said the state government accorded premium to human capital development as a panacea to the root cause of the social problem, adding that government had introduced 12-year free and compulsory education for all in the state.

She said: “Many girls in the northwest often got married before the age of 18 which called for concern.

”While some are between 15 years and taken out of school and become pregnant with complications due to long labour and undeveloped pelvic”.

The Kaduna State Commissioner for Human Services and Social Development, Hafsat Baba described child marriage as a global issue and harmful practice to society.

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Baba urged parents and guardians not to push children under the age of 18 to early marriage, adding the practice caused devastating end to the life of a child.

“Child marriage is often the result of entrenched gender inequality, making girls disproportionately affected by the practice.

“Ending child marriage will boost effort towards achieving the goals by improving access to education, encouraging economic growth, enhance nutrition and food security as well as maternal and child health,” she said.

The commissioner advocated programmes, laws, and structures to protect young girls against early marriage, encourage retention and completion of school, to enable them to become empowered and decide whether or not to marry.

“We must first identify and address the root causes of this harmful tradition and identify opportunities for change,

“We must rally all the stakeholders, children, young people, parents, community leaders, and governments to understand why we need to end the harmful practice and learn how to involve children, particularly girls in processes that will empower them to claim their rights,” she said.

In his remarks, the Programme Coordinator, Global Innovative for Women and Children, Aminu Babagana, said the group had intensified campaigns to end child marriage in society.

Babagana stated that it was important to call major stakeholders to intervene and address child marriage issue.

Also, Bahijjatu Garko, UNFPA Specialist, Adolescent Health, Reproductive Health and Youth Development, urged the Kaduna government to adopt practical measures to fast-track implementation of compulsory and free education programme to end child marriage.

“One in every nine Nigerians is a young girl while the 2013 Nigeria Demographic Health Survey showed that 19.5 per cent of adolescent girls are married before the age of 18.

“A girl child bride is often denied education as such her job prospects diminished and left more vulnerable to poverty and exclusion.

Child marriage may seem to be driven by poverty but the continued practice perpetuates the vicious cycle of poverty that is said to drive it,” Garko said.

She noted that a girl child bride was denied access to education as such her job prospects diminished and became more vulnerable to poverty and exclusion.

The Star