These Nigerian teen activists are organizing to end child marriage in their country

More than a third of Nigerian girls are married as children; 22 million girls in the country are married before turning 18 years old. A 2018 UNICEF report ranked Nigeria as one of the African nations with the highest number of child wives. The same report states that close to 30 percent of women from low-income households who are now in their early 20s were married as children, while only 10 percent of women from wealthy homes were.

Nigerian teenage activists Kudirat Abiola, 15, Temitayo Asuni, 15, and Susan Ubogu, 16, created It’s Never Your Fault, a nonprofit organization that takes a stand against this cultural norm, which is legally allowed to continue due to a loophole in the country’s constitution. In December 2018, the trio launched an online petition that called for the government to raise the age of consent from 11 to 18. The petition now has more than 150,000 signatures, and It’s Never Your Fault is now preparing a summer summit to be held on International Youth Day (August 12).

The group recently gave a collective interview to The FBomb about how and why they’re fighting child marriage and how young people can change their own communities for the better.

The FBomb: Why did you decide to combat the issue of child marriage, and how did you come together to form this organization?

It’s Never Your Fault: We all met at a career workshop hosted by the WiFi Combat Academy (a STEM education program) last December. We decided to look at the [UN] Sustainable Development Goals and choose one to work towards. As teenage girls who believe women can be much more than what society expects them to be, we decided to work towards the fifth Sustainable Development Goal, which is to achieve gender equality.

Considering the fact that over 40 million Nigerian girls are forced into marriages before their 18th birthday, we chose to work on eradicating child marriage. We went on to check what the constitution says about child marriage, and we found out that section 29 (4b) of the Nigerian constitution says that “any young woman who is married is deemed to be of full age.” Section 21 of the 2003 Child Rights Act, however, contradicts this. It  says, “a person under the age of 18 is incapable of contracting a valid marriage. If such a marriage does take place, it should be declared null and void and of no effect."  The constitution is the highest order in the land, therefore, it negates the Child's Right Act. This means that even if an 11-year-old is married off, she is deemed to be an adult. When we were beginning [the organization], we heard the story of a 15-year-old girl who was forced into marriage with a 70-year-old man. She was the same age as us, and considering the problems she would face, such as Vesicovaginal Fistula (VVF), high blood pressure, and depression, we were determined to do whatever we could to put an end to such injustice.

Our [organization’s] aim is to achieve gender equality, empower young girls in our society, and eradicate the social injustice they face such as child marriage, rape, and child abuse. Most times, when a type of social injustice, such as rape, happens to a girl, society stigmatizes her, and blames her — using excuses such as “why were you out at that time” — and allows the culprit go free. This gives girls low self-confidence and low self-esteem. The name “It’s Never Your Fault” is dedicated to victims of social injustice and sends a message to victims of these tragic events that whatever happens, it’s never their fault.

Has child marriage been a part of your lives — in terms of being a prospect for you or being the reality of people you know?

We have heard many stories about young girls who were forced into marriage without their own consent. We cannot even imagine ourselves being married at this young age. But we see and empathize with the pain of the girls who have been and are forced to endure this. We decided to begin this campaign as a way to give a voice to those who can’t speak for themselves.

What is the Nigerian political landscape in which you're fighting for this cause? What obstacles have you faced in trying to create political change?

Our country’s political landscape is divided. There are people encouraging us and there are people who feel like we are attacking their culture, which isn’t the case. As for the members of our legislative branch, we know they are ready for this change due to the fact that in 2013, a bill that would have banned child marriage was almost passed, but a particular senator put an end to it.

We are aiming to amend Section 29 (4b) of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, which says, any woman who is married shall be deemed to be of full age, replacing it with Section 23 of the 2003 Nigerian Child Rights Act, which says, “a person under the age of 18 is incapable of contracting a valid marriage. If such a marriage does take place, it should be declared null and void and of no effect."

We know that our message and fight will definitely be heard someday and child marriage eventually eradicated.

Abiola’s grandmother fought for Nigerian democracy and paid with her life for her activism. You have also received hate messages for trying to change a longstanding oppressive culture. Do you fear for your safety or even your lives by doing this work?

Due to the fact that what we are trying to achieve is such a divisive issue, that anxiety will always be there. We have gotten some hate messages, but none have gone as far as threatening our lives. There was even a time our Twitter account was shut down. We deal with hate messages with positivity, and we try to educate the individual. We will not let this fear hinder our motivation.

Your activism is to oppose child marriage, but do you or your organization have plans to address helping women who were already married as children?

Yes, most definitely! Our future plans include finding ways to rehabilitate these women and reintegrate them into society, help them with some empowerment programs, and help provide an education for them. We are looking forward to working with some reputable NGOs and foundations that are deeply rooted in finding solutions to related issues, like the VVF. We are interested in providing mentorship programs to young teenage girls as well.

Child marriage is a problem not only in Nigeria but in other nations as well. Do you believe your struggle can inspire people from other places where the practice persists?

Our struggle and our fight will inspire other people to pick up the mantle and fight for what they believe in. We are educating the masses that change is achievable if you get up and go get it. We didn’t sit and wait for our senators and congresspeople to enact change, we got up and began the steps to create the change we need in our system. We are also teaching young people to always give back to society, play their own part, and not wait for the government to do everything.