Kunle
Adeniye, head of operations at the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA)
country office, has said child marriage is a human rights violation.
The
UNFPA head of operations was speaking at a press briefing held on Thursday at
the UN House, when he welcomed the declaration made by President Yahya Jammeh
banning child marriage in The Gambia.
Mr
Kunle said his office was happy about the declaration banning child marriage,
and would give every necessary support to the Gambia government on such issues.
He
also welcomed the government’s political will to ban Female Genital Mutilation
(FGM).
Speaking
to journalists, Mr Kunle said child marriage is a human rights violation that
threatens girls’ lives and health, as well as limits their future prospects.
He
stressed that one of the leading causes of death in maternal mortality is child
marriage, and that anyone who is a convert to the message should be an advocate
of it to those who don’t know about the harmful effects of child marriage.
He
pointed out that child marriage makes girls to be dependent, because it is like
a child who needs help and at the same time given a responsibility to take care
of another child, which is her own at a wrong time.
Child
marriage also constitutes child rights violations, because teenagers are not
capable of handling early motherhood.
It
also stops them from going to school, as well as deprives them of making
decisions on their own, causing them economic restrictions.
If
given the opportunity to grow up to expectations or given the space to develop
their own potential, young girls would be able to create opportunities not only
on the economic front of their own, but of the country as whole.
“Girls
pressed into child marriage often become pregnant while they are still
adolescents, increasing the risk of complications in pregnancy or childbirth.
These complications are a leading cause of death among older adolescents in
developing countries.”
He
said his office promotes legislation and programmes designed to end child
marriage, and also supports evidence-based, girl-centered investments that
empower girls with the information, skills and services they need to be
healthy, educated and safe, helping them make a successful transition to
adulthood as they stand to deliver a world where every pregnancy is wanted,
every child-birth is safe and every young person’s potential is fulfilled.
The
UNFPA helps young girls make a successful transition to adulthood, and also
works to support the needs of married girls, particularly in family planning
and maternal health.
When
a girl becomes pregnant, her present and future change radically, and rarely
for the better.
Pregnancy
before a girl is physically, developmentally and socially ready jeopardizes her
right to a safe and successful life.
He
added that effective strategies and interventions should be put in place to
empower girls and reduce their vulnerability to adolescent pregnancy.
Every
year, UNFPA commemorates World Population Day, which affects billions of people
in the world, and focusing on cases of which 64 per cent are below 25 years, 42
per cent below 15 years, and 20 per cent are young girls.
