The Girl- Child of The Infamous Nigerian "CHILD RIGHTS ACT"!

ZION B-BC   NEWSLETTER. (Looking at Nigeria's Political System From a godly Perspective).  

A Publication of the Zion Faith Bible-Believing Church, Kpeyegyi, Abuja Nigeria. [VOL. 5. NO 167. 23rd October, 2016.} “…ONLY The Truth, Will Set You   Free! (John.8:32).

THE GIRL- CHILD OF THE INFAMOUS NIGERIAN "CHILD RIGHTS ACT"!

The pro-creation vessel is in danger of extinction! She is in a dire strait; being battered from all angles! The GIRL-CHILD cannot defend herself from the invasion of her privacy; neither can the Nigerian law protect her from human wolves in sheep clothing and adult predators! When it is not a household enemy - like a father, uncle, cousin, male sibling or houseboy that forcibly took away her pride of purity, it was a boy in her school, a male teacher or kidnappers! Though the GIRL-CHILD is the cradle of life expectancy and source of population increase and sustenance, this endangered species was always a vulnerable prey to the warped and unsound mind! The other day, 14-year-old Ese Oruru was dutifully supporting her mother with chores at their local food restaurant when an older male customer brain-washed and took her on a long journey from Bayelsa to Kano State, where she was forcibly initiated into conjugal rites and became a girl-wife and a nursing mother!
The case of another 14-year-old who was also recently abducted to Katsina State and married off to an older man without her parents' consent was still generating a lot of debate on the social media at the time of this publication, yet, the Nigerian 2003 Version of the Child Rights Act, which was incorporated and adopted from the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF's) Charter for universal laws on child protection was supposed to be actively in existence! From time immemorial, when civilization was alien to the shores of Nigeria, historians said that child-marriage was a common phenomenon amongst diverse tribes and religious beliefs and cultures, but were always contractual and with the expressed permission and consents of all families involved. During those dark days, it was said that because those girls were minors - between 9 to 13 years when betrothed, - they were usually put into the custody of their spouses' parents to nurture until they were fully matured into womanhood.

But in the 21st Century when there were international laws to protect the girl-child, caution had been thrown to the wind while even a distinguished and educated former Nigerian governor and presently a serving Senator brazenly married and bragged about his "conquest “over a 13-year-old minor whom he took for a "wife" because the said Child Rights Act was an exclusive Federal Legislation which had no binding force of law amongst the States, since only 22 out the 36, had domesticated the statute!
Gone are the days when woman purity was highly esteemed, cherished, protected and defended as a sacred global culture that should be preserved until the first night of married couples! Not long ago in August, 2016, a Ugandan herbalist was arrested for having illicit carnal knowledge with over 100 young girls with the consent of their parents who paid him handsomely for the despicable acts in fulfilment of certain cultural/ritual beliefs of procuring fruitfulness in marriage!
Nigeria on its part had condoned for too long, the proliferation of commercial "girl-child baby factories" in virtually all the six geo-political zones of the nation, which consistently provided safe havens for the endangered species who were either products of broken homes or peer group negative influences/pressures! There is of course the issue of girl-child physical abuse when engaged as house-help or slave and also the trafficking of innocent minor into prostitution at very tender age which had taken phenomenal dimensions mostly in African and Asian countries with the connivance of some parents, guardians or close relatives in view of the inducements of commercial gains.
Recently in Nigeria, 21 out of the 218 Boko Haram-abducted teenage Chibok Secondary School girls of the North East State of Bornu, were released after over two years of incarceration since 14th April, 2014, but it is disheartening that they had been debased, dehumanized, randomly and severally abused, physically, mentally and forcibly initiated into motherhood by their captors! All the same, we give glory to God that they have been reconciled to their loved ones as we look forward to another batch of 83 whose release was still being negotiated by the Federal Government.

The Health Hazard of Vesico-Virgina Fistula (VVF)!
When a girl-child, though neither biologically matured nor prepared for sexual activities and child-bearing but brutally forced into the act, the resultant damage is the rupture of her uterus that gives rise to VVF and other complications. VVF is an abnormal communication between the bladder and the virgina causing urinary incontinence which results in unrestricted urination as a result of such damage! It is very instructive for the insensitive and demonized male adults who disregard the tenderness of the female physique and anatomy to violate them brutally, that the girl-child in any part of the world possess similar biological features and as the weaker vessels should therefore, have the right to protection, psychological stability and a decent healthy life without such harassments!
Since the domestication of the Child Rights Act by the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), and 22 other States, several Non-governmental Organisations (NGO's), and Civil Society Organisations (CSO's), have advocated that other State governments should follow suit and exercise the political will to implement not only the letter but also the spirit of the Act so that these innocent children would not continue to experience uncertain existence like the lower mammals which were permanently at the mercy of human predators! We believe that there could not be a better time than now for governments to fulfil the social contract promises documented in their political manifestoes by ensuring the principles of gender equality and empowerment of the girl-child through sound and qualitative education!
We also advocate the elimination of negative cultural, traditional and forceful culture of child marriage, child labour, female genital mutilation, sexual exploitation and abuse, including the unholy attitude of treating the girl-child as inferior to his male counterpart!
In July 2000, the Child Rights Act which incorporated all rights and consolidated all laws which provided for the protection and care of the Nigerian child into a single law was passed by the National Assembly and signed into law by President Olusegun Obasanjo.
In 2003, according to UNICEF's Report, Nigeria adopted the Child Rights Act to domesticate the Convention on the Rights of the Child and was subsequently passed at the Federal level, but in spite of all these documental efforts, not much effect of protection of the girl-child had been recorded in the country.
An Africa Union Report, quoted by UNICEF on the rights and welfare of the Nigerian child, revealed that 6.000 children were in prison and detention centres across the country and that girls made up less than 10% because  their involvement with the law was always as result of criminal acts committed against them, such as Rape, Sexual exploitation and Trafficking!

Urgent Solutions and Constitutional Responsibilities of the Nigerian Government.
Since the Child Rights Act has been domesticated in Nigeria and recognizes all rights and privileges of the girl-child, the onus of enforcement of the laws protection of this endangered species rests squarely on all governments! It is their joint responsibilities to ensure free early health care and primary to secondary education, conducive welfare and housing facilities, for them and their parents, portable water supplies, neighbourhood security arrangements, etc.
We are very much aware that the implementation of the letters of the Act through the existing Child Rights Implementation Committees across the nation had been enormous, but not insurmountable; therefore it becomes mandatory for them to invoke all government machineries and apparatuses at their disposal to compel all government agencies to implement all of the set out suggestions, especially in the areas of tight security arrangements for the girl-child at home, school and recreation! We also suggest that at the grassroots and communities levels, the local chiefs and elders should involve the services of vigilante groups who would watch over their own kith and kin, without allowing them to be exposed to predators whether at the streams, markets or even playgrounds!
But it is saddening that the Nigeria Police Force, which is an integral member of the Child Rights Act Implementation Committees and on which the major duty of implementing security duties for safety of the girl-child squarely rests, has defaulted in the KATSINA ABDUCTION CASE which is still trending! The Commissioner of Police of that State told the World that his organisation had no prior knowledge of the illicit and criminal abduction of a minor into the purported child marriage but had, after "thorough investigation", advised the minor (now a guest of the Emir), to return to her parents! This decision and conclusion of the Commissioner is unacceptable to all well-meaning and patriotic Nigerians - most especially members of the Change Administration of President Buhari!
We advise that the Inspector General of Police takes over the case, rectify all harms done and save the new image of the Force by enforcing all relevant laws to send the minor back to her parents before she was subjected to all manner of inhuman treatments since she had no constitutional rights to make a "consent" decision in respect of such sensitive issue as marriage!

The Word of God says that, “Lo, children are an heritage of the LORD; and the fruit of the womb is his reward. As arrows are in the hand of a mighty; so are children of the youth. Happy is the man that hath his quiver full of them: they shall not be ashamed, but they shall speak with the enemies in the gate." (Psalm.127:3-5).
THE GIRL-CHILD IS OUR INSURANCE FOR THE NEXT GENERATION - SHE MUST BE SHIELDED FROM EXTINCTION!  Amen.

Please look forward to more divine revelation in the next edition of Zion B-BC Newsletter as you share this with friends and remain blessed in the Lord. [For weekly access, to this newsletter, log on to:  facebook.com/zionfaithbible.believingchurch or http://www.zfbbc1.blogspot.com, https://www.google.com/+zionfaithbiblebelievingchurch.

If you have not accepted the Lord Jesus Christ as your personal Lord and Saviour, don’t miss this great opportunity as you pray this prayer: Lord Jesus; I confess that I am a sinner who needs to be saved through the grace of the New Testament of your Blood, shed on the Cross at Calvary; I renounce every sin in my life and accept you as my Lord and Saviour. Please forgive me and write my name in the Book of Life. Amen. If you prayed this prayer, you have been admitted into the family of sons and daughters of God, who are born-again. Congratulations.

I am, yours sincerely, Dr. David B.A. Olufon, Resident Pastor and Editor. 08130669886, 08098194390.  08080243066   g-mail- dvdolufon@gmail.com.