The Oneh Eh Nchia X and Egbere Emere Okori of Eleme Kingdom, HRH King Dr. Appolus Chu OFR, has charged traditional rulers across Nigeria to help the government in its fight to end child marriage in the country by ensuring that they spread the awareness of the dangers of the practice in their different domains and communities.

King Chu gave the charge while speaking at the recent symposium tagged NATIONAL DIALOGUE ON ENDING CHILD MARRIAGE IN NIGERIA organized by the Ministry of Women Affairs in Abuja. The symposium attracted policy makers, government officials, as well as traditional rulers from every part of Nigeria.

In addition to the danger posed by early marriage, King Chu also emphasized that the girl child is often subjected to so many other dangers as poor families usually exploit their female children in so many different ways as they grapple with economic hardships. He noted that families should be encouraged to protect their girl children and help them grow and develop properly.

Besides papers presented by eminent scholars on the subject, other speakers at the symposium were the Minister for Women Affairs, Hon. Uju Kennedy – Ohanenye, as well as the Country Representative of UNICEF, Cristian Munduate.

Below are videos and pictures from the event: