Foreign Affairs committee  Child marriage is really on the decrease in urban centres. That's because there are more facilities available like schools and jobs, so people can see the benefits of having an education. Because you have a mix of both educated and non-educated all living together, even those who

Foreign Affairs committee  In northwestern Nigeria particularly it's not really child marriage that's talked about; it's more to do with education. I know that, for instance, in Kano state, the governor has been very supportive of girls' education. He makes sure there's public transportation to take girls

Foreign Affairs committee  I think, also, it's about supporting grassroots organizations. They're within the communities. They work closely with them. They have the trust of the people. If the grassroots organizations were supported, they could reach out more than they are currently able to with the limite

Foreign Affairs committee  We work with the stakeholders, such traditional institutions as the village heads and the district heads. Once you start at that level, the smaller local heads of the various villages and the religious rulers themselves have the voice of the people. If they speak, the people tend

Foreign Affairs committee  Good morning. Thank you very much for giving us this opportunity to be here today to talk about child marriage. Our organization, Isa Wali Empowerment Initiative, is based in Kano, which is in the northwestern part of Nigeria. It's a region that is very conservative and is very