The increasing campaign against child marriage prevalent in northern Nigeria seems to be yielding results as many are now seeing reasons why they should not force their teenage daughters into marriage.
Over the years, advocates against the practice have harped on the health hazard and the socio-economic danger associated with forcing a child into marriage and more people who hitherto seemed to be blinded by the doctrine the practice is hinged on are now becoming better oriented.
A Nigerian Nurse identified as Sandra Madu took to Twitter on Thursday to narrate how a victim of child marriage has vowed to do everything possible to ensure her only daughter does not pass through her kind of experience.
According to the Nurse, the woman, now 44, who was forced into marriage as a teenager, started making babies at the age of 13.
The woman has eight children, seven males and a female and her eldest child is said to be 31 years old.
In the Twitter thread, Sandra narrated that the woman who was a patient at her hospital has vowed to ensure her last child, a three-year-old girl would be educated at all cost because she doesn’t want the girl to end up like her.
The lady tweeted:
“Met a patient today that moved me to tears when she said that she doesn’t want her child to end up like she did. She is a 44year old northerner with 8 children, first child is 31yrs old and last child is 3yrs old. This means she had her first child at 13yrs of age.
“Last child was admitted and when asked why the child is not in school she said school was expensive but she would try to send this one to school cos it’s her only girl child and she wouldn’t want her to end up like she did.
“In her words “ If na for village them go force her to marry but here she go go school because I no enjoy am” at this point she was crying and i could feel tears in my eyes, had to step aside to comport myself.
“Looking at this woman I could feel her pain and how she didn’t ask for any of this but has no choice than to care and cater for these children which for each one her husband took the delivery at home(story for another day)
“These children being thrown into marriages have no understanding of what is going on, they wake up to responsibilities they didn’t ask for or even have the chance to choose.
“I cannot over emphasize how wrong early marriage is and all the negative effects it has on women, the family and the community at large STOP CHILD MARRIAGE STOP CHILD MARRIAGE STOP CHILD MARRIAGE”
See her tweet:
Met a patient today that moved me to tears when she said that she doesn’t want her child to end up like she did.
She is a 44year old northerner with 8 children, first child is 31yrs old and last child is 3yrs old. This means she had her first child at 13yrs of age.— Sandra Madu (@annie_sensatn) June 27, 2019
