Wednesday 14 August 2013

User's Opinion: Underage Marriage Is Not The Only Problem We Have...

Naij.com's reader send his opinion about underage marriage. And it's our honour to post it for all our readers. Read and decide for yourself whether you agree or disagree with the writer... 
Greetings to you all, my fellow Nigerians!
We all laid causes, media protests & votes against the underage marriage trending as the "Child Not Bride" bill that is promptly being deliberated & also to be made legal by the Nigerian Senate. This was a good idea by the masses to stop this barbaric, wicked & shameless evil desire by Senator Ahmed Yerima.
Come to think of it, have we all thought about those little kids below the ages of 8-10 years; harbored & adopted by women or mothers with archaic or lame proposals to their parents in a benevolent way; claiming to send them to schools & feed them properly, while playing the role of a house girl, apprentice or daughter to them. I don't blame the parents of this kids, because of their privileges which are extremely less & they take such offers tempting & as a source of their own breakthrough.
And when these kids follows them to the city:
  • They are turned to hawkers, slaves & animals.
  • They get beaten up over minor consequences or misunderstandings.
  • They don't even feed well.
  • They live in fear, in every single second of their life.
For example:
Here in the city of Port Hacourt where I live, it's a very busy city even at 12-30am in the morning, u can still find illegal crowds roaming about & looking for whom to devour.
There use to be this little girl "8-10 years" (exaggerates).
She was adopted by her Aunt in my street, who happens to be a sister to her mother, to show how tight the relationship was.
She gets beaten up everyday & sent out every morning to hawk snacks. She passes by every morning when I seat in my mums shop, praying for customers to come, so I can do apiriko (topping the prize of a particular goods).
She passes by with her normal exclamation; "Good Morning Brother Kc" & as usual I reply "Morning Ada, how are u"?
On a Friday night, on my way back from a Party around 1:30am; scared, trekking & famished, surrounded by tint & awkward darkness, musics playing from different joints & club houses, prostitutes, weird & illegal faces choked with drinks & waiting for whom to devour. At my greatest surprise I saw this little girl Ada going to throw dirts, at that time of the night & was shocked.
I forced her back home & disposed the dirts myself, the glances from this weird faces continued till we reached our entrance.
When I warned her not to come out that time again, she said "Broda Kc na my Aunty tell me say, em go beat me if I no go troway am".
I almost told her to tell her Aunty "she is a fool", if not for respect.
We all should stand up & fight not just for the underage marriage, but also for the safety, protection, life & rights of this less privilege children..
They don't have anyone to speak for them, but just us the masses & I strongly believe that our voice can be heard & listened to, If we SHARE this message to others....
Thanks & God Bless!

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