SPEAKER of the Adamawa State House of Assembly, Sadiq Ibrahim, has called for a holistic review of the Child’s Rights Act to remove provisions that contravenes some religious principles.
He urged the Federal Government to forward the Act to the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) and Muslim bodies to enable them scrutinise the Act and address areas of conflict.
The lawmaker spoke when he received the Minister of Women Affairs and Social Development, Hajia Zainab Maina, who was on advocacy visit to the state. Ibrahim noted that the Child Rights Act, which had gone through second reading at the state’s Assembly suffered a setback during the third reading when members discovered that some of its provisions contradicted Islamic laws.
He cited a section of the Act which stipulates that “it is a criminal offence for any father to give out his daughter for marriage before the age of 18,” adding that the Islamic principle on the matter provides that a women would be eligible for marriage as soon as she attains maturity.
The Speaker contended that issues of maturity are not determined by law but questions of fact that could be established from the physical attributes of a woman.
Ibrahim insisted that for any provision of the ACT that contravenes the principles of Islamic, the controversy would be resolved in favour of Islamic law.”
He said: “A woman may be matured before the age of 18, there is also an issue of choice. A woman may decide to get married before the age of 18; can you prevent her from making a choice of marrying the husband of her wish before she reaches the age of 18? These are fundamental issues we need resolve.
The Assembly has agreed that there are certain misdeeds in the Nigerian society that can be tackled by the Act such as the Almajarai (street kids) syndrome, begging and hawking by children, which are un-Islamic.
“We will not watch our children being destroyed with tribal marks, undergo Cores mutilation; these are unacceptable to our society. There are so many provisions of the Act which are good for our society but there are also certain grey areas which we do not agree with and need to be reviewed. This is not about religion but about cultural values that we hold with respect. There is need for a holistic review of the Act.”
The Speaker noted that the state Assembly is already working on the domestication of Convention for Elimination of All forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) adding the women deserve to be respected.
Earlier, Maina appealed to the House to put in place appropriate legislations that would guarantee the rights of women and promote the welfare of children.
He urged the Federal Government to forward the Act to the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) and Muslim bodies to enable them scrutinise the Act and address areas of conflict.
The lawmaker spoke when he received the Minister of Women Affairs and Social Development, Hajia Zainab Maina, who was on advocacy visit to the state. Ibrahim noted that the Child Rights Act, which had gone through second reading at the state’s Assembly suffered a setback during the third reading when members discovered that some of its provisions contradicted Islamic laws.
He cited a section of the Act which stipulates that “it is a criminal offence for any father to give out his daughter for marriage before the age of 18,” adding that the Islamic principle on the matter provides that a women would be eligible for marriage as soon as she attains maturity.
The Speaker contended that issues of maturity are not determined by law but questions of fact that could be established from the physical attributes of a woman.
Ibrahim insisted that for any provision of the ACT that contravenes the principles of Islamic, the controversy would be resolved in favour of Islamic law.”
He said: “A woman may be matured before the age of 18, there is also an issue of choice. A woman may decide to get married before the age of 18; can you prevent her from making a choice of marrying the husband of her wish before she reaches the age of 18? These are fundamental issues we need resolve.
The Assembly has agreed that there are certain misdeeds in the Nigerian society that can be tackled by the Act such as the Almajarai (street kids) syndrome, begging and hawking by children, which are un-Islamic.
“We will not watch our children being destroyed with tribal marks, undergo Cores mutilation; these are unacceptable to our society. There are so many provisions of the Act which are good for our society but there are also certain grey areas which we do not agree with and need to be reviewed. This is not about religion but about cultural values that we hold with respect. There is need for a holistic review of the Act.”
The Speaker noted that the state Assembly is already working on the domestication of Convention for Elimination of All forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) adding the women deserve to be respected.
Earlier, Maina appealed to the House to put in place appropriate legislations that would guarantee the rights of women and promote the welfare of children.
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