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Teenage marriage

Teenager flees from father in escape of forced marriage
 
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Tue, 29 Sep 2020   ||   Nigeria, Plateau
 

 

A 15-year-old girl has reported her father to the office of the International Federation of Women Lawyers (FIDA), Ekiti, over alleged attempt to force her into marriage against her wish.

The girl fled her home in Plateau state to Ekiti on September 17 to stay with her brother in order to avoid the forceful marriage from her father.

The Chairperson of FIDA, Mrs Toyin Odunayo during a press briefing on Tuesday in Ado-Ekiti, said that the association had initially provided shelter for the girl following her inability to locate her brother.

Her words: “By the time, we got across to her brother, Hameed Adamu, he confirmed that their father wanted to marry his sister out to a man without her consent.”

“Adamu said that their father had effected the arrest of a man in Plateau state claiming that the man sponsored his sister’s trip to Ekiti to avoid the marriage.”

“The man was released the following day, but my father threatened to have him re-arrested if my sister did not return to Plateau state on Monday, Sept. 28,’’ Odunayo quoted Adamu as saying.

The FIDA Chairperson said the Federation has reported the case to the National Human Rights Commission, Ekiti branch, which then linked it with the Plateau branch.

“We called the Plateau branch, gave them a summary of the case and we were assured that they will take up the case and ensure that the man is safe. Her brother was then made to sign an undertaking to the effect that his sister will report at our office every Wednesday by noon for counselling,’’ the FIDA chairperson said and thus urged members of the public to be their brother’s keepers by reporting to the appropriate authorities all cases of human trafficking, and sexual violence against women and children.

 

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