SheForum Africa, a pan-African organisation, has called for collective action to end child marriage, urging families, schools, religious institutions and communities to break the culture of silence that exposes girls to forced marriage, abuse and other violations of their rights.
The Founder of SheForum Africa, Ms Inimfon Etuk, made the call during an advocacy outreach to students of African International College, Abuja, to commemorate the 2026 International Day of the Girl Child, themed, “End Child Marriage, Invest in Girls’ Rights.”
Etuk said protecting girls required more than organisational advocacy, stressing the need to empower them to speak up for themselves and other vulnerable children.
“We are at the point where we are strengthening the voices of girls to speak on their behalf, to speak on behalf of other girls in their community,” she said.
She identified silence within families and communities as a major obstacle to child protection, noting that abuses often went unreported because of the desire to preserve family reputations.
“The whole idea is to break the culture of silence wherever it occurs,” Etuk said, urging adults to recognise signs of distress and take action to protect children.
She called for schools, religious institutions, marketplaces and community spaces to become safe environments where children could report abuse without fear.
“If children are not able to express themselves in these spaces, there’s something fundamentally flawed about our society,” she said.
Responding to students’ concerns about forced marriage, violent parents and abuse by teachers, Etuk urged them to report such experiences to trusted teachers and school authorities, who could connect them with relevant child protection agencies and organisations.
She cited the Child Rights Act as a legal instrument for protecting children against harmful practices, emphasising that adults must act whenever they encounter abuse.
“Girls are not meant to be wives. Girls must remain girls and enjoy their childhood,” she declared, insisting that girls should be allowed to grow, learn and fulfil their potential before entering marriage as adults.
Sharing experiences from community interventions, Hyella Umar, who supports programmes under the National Agency for the Control of AIDS (NACA) and the Global Fund grant, recounted encountering communities where girls as young as 12 had been married off.
She said girls aged 15 to 18 were often absent from some communities because they had been married, while women suffered fistulas and other undiagnosed health complications associated with early marriage.
Umar attributed the situation partly to inadequate awareness and limited knowledge of girls’ rights.
“Your health comes first. Your right to say no comes first,” she told the students, urging them to seek safe spaces and support other girls facing similar challenges.
The Principal of African International College, Abiodun Olusoji Adeagbo, condemned child marriage, describing it as a social vice that must be stopped.
“It should be stopped so that our girl children can fulfil their divine destiny,” he said, stressing that girls possessed talents and leadership potential that must not be suppressed.
Similarly, the Vice Principal, Lenah Ezekiel, underscored the importance of advocacy in equipping girls with the knowledge to protect their physical and mental wellbeing.
“Nothing beats advocacy because information is power,” she said, advocating collaboration between educators and organisations to strengthen protection systems for girls.
The outreach reinforced the need for sustained investment in girls’ rights, education and health, while encouraging students to use their voices to challenge harmful practices and protect their peers.
