Child marriage not Islamic – JNI women wing

From Scholastica Hir, Makurdi

The President, Women Wing of Jama’atu Nasril Islam (JNI), Benue State chapter, Hajia Hauwa Isah, has debunked the widespread speculation that child marriage is part of Islamic practice.

Hajia Isah made the clarification today during a panel discussion at a symposium organised in Makurdi by Elohim Foundation, a non-governmental organisation, and partners to mark the 2025 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence (GBV).

The programme, themed “UNiTE to End Digital Violence Against All Women and Girls”, was supported by UK International Development, Strengthening Peace and Resilience in Nigeria (SPRiNG), and other partners.

The JNI Women President said giving out underage children in marriage is not an Islamic practice but a cultural issue, saying this varies from one northern state to another and among agreed families.

According to her, “even though it is a cultural issue, in the far north, girls of 12 to 15 years are given out for marriage by their parents but in the Hausa communities in Benue State, we have girls of 20 to 35 years of age that are yet to be married.”

She attributed situations where parents give out their daughters in early marriages to poverty and illiteracy, adding that Islam values the girl child, protects and prepares her for a better life.

Also speaking, a Family Physician with the Federal Medical Centre (FMC) Makurdi, Dr Ladi Swende, enumerated her experience at the hospital where women and children, including girls and boys, come with various complaints that show signs of GBV.

Dr Swende said out of 10 patients, over 50 per cent are discovered to be linked to GBV in different ways.

She called on all and sundry, especially medical practitioners, to consult passionately with their patients and ask the right questions to enable them to make the right diagnosis, give informed counsel, and prescribe medication.

She also noted that “the church has so much work to do because some of the abusers are high-ranking people in the church.”

She encouraged open conversation between parents and children, and empowerment of women and girls both educationally and economically to enable them to make informed decisions about their health and wellbeing.

Another speaker, Bishop Cephas Okwori of Side by Side Movement, a faith-based organisation, stated that the church does not condone cases of SGBV. He urged the public to report cases to the appropriate quarters, saying offenders should be made to face the full wrath of the law.

A facilitator, Solumtochukwu Ozobulu, a legal practitioner, identified cyber-harassment/cyber-stalking, sextortion, non-consensual image sharing, doxxing, and online shaming, among others, as forms of digital violence against women and girls that threaten their safety, autonomy, and inclusion in the digital space.

She advised women to protect their social media accounts with strong authentication and passwords to shield them from hackers and blackmailers.

Earlier, the Executive Director, Elohim Foundation, Dr Victoria Daor, expressed concern over the rising cases of abuse which she blamed on poverty and dwindling societal values, and called for inward family reflection.

She said a high level of ignorance, misinformation, and misconception was fuelling GBV and advised that people should not be quick to judge survivors but take responsibility for their words and actions as a sure way to check SGBV in society.