Jos – The Federation of Muslim Women Association of Nigeria (FOMWAN) has condemned marriages contracted without parental consents.
Mrs Mairo Sani, the Chairman of FOMWAN in Plateau told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Thursday in Jos that for a marriage to be fruitful, the blessings of the parents were paramount.
“We condemn abduction because we believe your parents or guardians should bless you before giving you out, moreover, all traditional rites should be performed before a girl is given out,’’ she said.
She said that even though traditions differ in term of maturity for marriage, “the girl-child is encouraged to get education before she proceeds to gets married.’’
“We strongly advise the girl-child to get education before marriage so that she will be properly empowered,’’ she explained.
[pro_ad_display_adzone id=”70560″]
Sani advised mothers to be vigilante with their children, especially the girl-child, saying “they are special because of their vulnerability’’.
She urged mothers to give their children good upbringing so that they imbibed good principles that would help them even if their parents or guardians were not with them.
“When you train a child well, he or she will be able to say no to some actions because of the principles you imbibe in him.
“The notion of making money by all means should be highly discouraged by parents; this is one of the major channels of cajoling the girl-child.
“Take care of your girl-child, make her your friend so that she confides in you and you know what is going on with her,’’ she said. (NAN)