gisw13_chapters

ides. 11 The WOMAN 2.1 Summit 12 and Women’sHealth and Action Research Centre (WHARC), 13 theformer government minister Fani-Kayode 14 and theMovement for Islamic Culture and Awareness haveall criticised the Senate’s (in)action.Apart from being an affront to the fundamentalhuman rights of the victims, teenage marriage hasprofound disadvantages on the health and socialand physical well-being of underage mothers. Manyare not physically or emotionally ready to handlea pregnancy, survive childbirth or nurture a baby.Therefore they face grave dangers during childbirthand are susceptible to pregnancy-related injuriessuch as obstetric fistula (VVF). Children bornto child brides frequently suffer low birth weight.These young brides are unable to negotiate safe sexwith older men, making them vulnerable to sexuallytransmitted diseases, HIV/AIDS, and sexual and domesticviolence.Gender inequalityThis public outrage on the issue of child marriagehighlights the persisting gender inequality in Nigeria,especially in female access to educationand economic and political empowerment. TheWomenAid Collective in its CEDAW Shadow Reportstates that females are lagging behind in accessto primary, secondary and tertiary education, witha consequent literacy rate of 43% for adult women(compared to 57% for men). 15While ICTs have been seen as a tool for enhancedopportunities for all, they can also end upexacerbating the existing gender divide. In thischild bride issue, several kinds of ICTs were mobilisedto keep the issue in the public domain longenough to force a back down by the Nigerian Senate.But the incident also highlights the underlyinggender inequities in the national socio-politicalarena. The Beijing Declaration and Platform forAction specifically calls on states to “increase theparticipation and access of women to expressionand decision-making in and through the media andnew technologies of communication.” However, aslong as females are subjected to early marriage,domestic responsibilities and socio-cultural prac-11 allafrica.com/stories/201307261128.html12 ghanagist.com/woman-2-1-summit-stands-against-underagechild-marriage-in-nigeria/#.Ufdn5FPageM13 www.wharc-online.org/2013/07/25/wharc-rejects-child-marriagein-nigeria14 premiumtimesng.com/opinion/141879-a-word-for-yerima-and-thepedophiles-in-power-femi-fani-kayode.html15 WomenAid Collective (2008) CEDAW and Accountability to GenderEquality in Nigeria: A Shadow Report, WACOL.tices can only reduce their access to the informationeconomy and increase the gender gap.As of September 2013 the situation has yet toshow significant improvement, with women’s participationand contributions at all levels and in allsectors still largely undervalued and constrained.Moreover, Nigeria has yet to domesticate the UnitedNations Convention on the Elimination of All Formsof Discrimination against Women (CEDAW), despitethe increase in violence against women as reportedby its minister of women’s affairs. 16ConclusionNigeria was among the first countries in Africa tosign and ratify CEDAW, and has also had one of itsnationals elected to the CEDAW Committee. 17 Yet 29years after the ratification, the 2008 shadow reporton CEDAW and gender accountability in Nigeriaobserved that Nigerian women were still beingsubjected to substantial discrimination as a resultof the lack of enabling legal and institutional support.The lack of progress is particularly glaring inthe areas of access to education, incidence of highmaternal and child mortality due to early marriage,human rights violations, harmful traditional andcultural practices such as female genital mutilation,widowhood rites and disinheritance, high incidencesof gender-based violence, the trafficking ofwomen, and teenage pregnancy 18 .The Association for Progressive CommunicationsWomen’s Rights Programme (APC WRP)advocates gender equality in the “implementation,access and use of [ICTs].” 19 Nigerian women and thegeneral public have demonstrated what ICTs canachieve to promote the rights of girls and ensurethat child marriages are abolished. Two recent billscan only strengthen these efforts: the Gender andEqual Opportunities Bill and the Violence AgainstPersons Bill, 20 which have been presented to thenational assembly.Action stepsThere is a need to work closely with civil societygroups whose focus is on women’s rights to raisepublic awareness regarding the non-domesticationof CEDAW in Nigeria. Linking this with regular reportsof violence against women will help to keep16 www.ngrguardiannews.com/national-news/132759-ministerdecries-non-domestication-of-cedaw-gender-bill17 www.dailyindependentnig.com/2012/07/nigerian-elected-into-uncedaw-committee18 WomenAid Collective (2008) Op. cit.19 www.apc.org/en/about/programmes/womens-networkingsupport-programme-apc-wnsp20 allafrica.com/stories/201305231144.html184 / Global Information Society Watch