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The United Nations
Committee on the Rights of the Child (CRC) is expected to quiz Nigerian
officials over the allegations of a contracted marriage between a
serving lawmaker, Ahmed Yerima, and a minor when they appear before the
committee on Wednesday, May 26, in Geneva, Switzerland.

The delegates will
be in Geneva to present a periodic report on issues surrounding child
rights in Nigeria at the 54th Session of the CRC and will in turn
answer questions from the CRC. Typically, the delegates would be
expected to answer questions on such areas as child labour, education,
and female Genital Mutilation.

Joy Ezeilo, the UN
Special Rapporteur on trafficking in persons, especially in women and
children, however says that the delegates should expect to be
questioned on the recent controversy with the Nigerian senator who
allegedly contracted a marriage with a thirteen year old Egyptian girl.

Mrs. Ezeilo said it
fell within the purview of the CRC to question the delegates on all
issues that concern children in Nigeria even if the issues are not
addressed in the delegate’s periodic reports.

“Nigerians should
gear up to answer questions on senator (Mr.) Yerima’s matter,” she
said. I think the UN committee will take the Nigerian officials to
task. The CRC can take up any issue so far it concerns children.
Besides, the report should include issues on child marriages.”

Obstructing the Millennium Development Goals

The United Nations
Children’s Fund (UNICEF) describes child marriage as a violation of the
child’s human rights which the body says can lead to serious health
risks such as early pregnancy, and related risks. UNICEF also says that
child marriage contravenes with the basic right of every person to free
and full consent to a marriage as recognised in the Universal
Declaration of Human Rights (1948).

UNICEF also says
that child marriage is a direct obstruction to the achievement of
nearly all the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) including: achieving
universal primary education (MDG 3), protecting children’s lives (MDG
4), and improving health(MDG 5&6).

Concurring with UNICEF is another senator, Chris Anyanwu, who sits on the senate committee on MDGs.

“What UNICEF is
saying is only rational,” she said. “It is a very simple deduction. If
you pluck a little girl from school, she will not have the opportunity
to develop fully. It implies that that is one person lost to future
contribution to development,”

Mrs. Anyanwu, one
of the first senators who condemned Mr. Yerima’s actions, added that
“He has set a bad example and is indefensible. He may be our colleague
but we cannot approve his actions based on that. We cannot act in
impunity anymore. We are leaders and whatever we do becomes a symbolic
example for others to follow.”

Disgracing Nigeria

Mrs. Ezeilo said
that Mr. Yerima’s recent scandal would paint an ugly picture of Nigeria
in the international community, adding that Nigeria was once denied the
United Nations committee membership due to similar scandals in 2004.

This was when a female, Amina Lawal, was condemned to death in Katsina for alleged adultery.

“We had a highly
qualified candidate in 2004 but he was not chosen simply because of
Amina Lawal’s issue,” she said. “Now again, Nigeria might be
disqualified again because of this child marriage issue. It is really
unfortunate but we have to show that we respect international
conventions and laws.”

Other Children’s rights

Nigerian delegates
will also be speaking on the child witchcraft syndrome common in the
southern part of the country which recently came into public glare.

British born child
rights activist, Gary Foxcroft, the programme director of a UK charity
with offices in Nigeria, welcomes this development. Mr. Foxcroft has
spent the last two years caring for abandoned children.

“This development is particularly important because it shows that
the problem of human rights abuses resulting from child witchcraft
stigmatization is now firmly on the international agenda,” he said. “It
is clear that UN human rights bodies recognise the severity of this
issue and the legal responsibility of the Nigerian government to
address it quickly and effectively.”