Once penetrated, she’ll no longer be a girl, says man whose cousin married a child

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A Nigerian man on Monday dismissed child marriage as a non-issue, insisting that “once she’s been penetrated, she’ll no longer be a girl”.

Alfa Bolondes, a Nigerian of northern extraction, had caused a stir on Facebook when he congratulated his cousin on his marriage to a young girl.

The post caused an outcry with many condemning the act.

Bolondes’s post highlight a challenge inherent in the country. According to the United Nations, in Nigeria, 43% of girls are married off before their 18th birthday while 17% are married before they turn 15.

In northern Nigeria, child marriage has been blamed on the quality of education. Parents claimed the quality of education is so poor that schooling cannot be considered a viable alternative to marriage for their daughters.

from Punch Newspapers http://ift.tt/2lzpvfk
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