TEEN MARRIAGE RUINED MY CAREER -LILIAN CHUKWUKA

By Iwuchukwu Cynthia 

Lilian Chukwuka described her childhood as tragic. She always had the dream of becoming a great woman in life but things changed when she was 17.

Teen marriage is the union of two adolescents, ranging in age from 13 to 19, who are joined in marriage.  Just like the case of Lilian, most teen marriages are unplanned. Factors responsible for teen marriage can be traced to poverty, illiteracy, religion, tradition, love, family, peer group, media influence, sexual abuse, and unwanted pregnancy. In November 2016, Nigeria became the 17th country to launch the African union campaign to end teen marriage. The strategy’s vision is to reduce teen marriage by 40% by 2020. In Nigeria, 76% of the North West region is married before their 18th birthday. 80% of women with no education were married before 18. 

According to Lilian, "I was never given much adult supervision due to the nature of my parent’s job. I had my first boy friend when I was 15years. He was 5years older that is, 20years. When I was 17years, he became 22years. He made all sort of promises and swept me off my feet with sugar coated words. As at then, I was still a virgin. My relationship with him resulted to unwanted pregnancy, which led to early marriage”.

Teenage marriage is not easy to cope with because it is associated with many difficulties. The effect of teen marriage can cause detriment to a person’s future. Findings have shown that teen marriage often lead to divorce. Most teens rush into marriage without knowing what marriage really is. Many refer to marriage as an institution. 

Teenagers should take account that marriage comes with a lot of responsibility and not an easy task. In the society, teen marriage can cause over population, making the economy resources limited. A teenager who gets married typically drops out of secondary school, or do not further their education to the university level. This is mostly due to the stress that causes a relationship when getting wedded as an adolescent.

“I didn’t know I was pregnant until the third month. The only symptoms I had were that I missed my monthly flow. I took it as being normal because it happens sometimes. I started noticing some changes in my body, like constant weakness, getting fat, dizziness, but a few to mention. Onome used to be a bosom friend then. I explained to her, she advised me to visit the medical lab to conduct a pregnancy test. I did, and then realized I was pregnant”, Lilian said.

"I hail from Imo state and as an Igbo; it is a taboo and a shame to get pregnant before marriage, most especially before a marriageable age. My parents didn’t take it likely with me. Initially, my boyfriend denied being responsible for the pregnancy. Due to the excess pressure, he finally agreed. To cut the story short, I already purchased my jamb form to further my education to university of Nigeria, Nsukka. That was about 2015. The pregnancy made me forget about education. The marriage rites were immediately done. I became a married woman at the age of 17”, she added.

“My dream of becoming a lawyer got chartered till date. I could not seek for a job because all I had was a secondary school leaving certificate (WAEC), and to some extent, I could no longer depend on my parents because I was married. Teen marriage ruined my career”.

Mrs. Josephine, a mother, philanthropist, and a teacher, gave her opinion on teen marriage. She said “I was a victim of early marriage at the age of 16. I am from a poor background, and the man was much older. My family saw it as a breakthrough from poverty. The marriage Failed in 2years. I remarried at the age of 21, currently blessed with four kids. Teens need to be educated about the implications of early marriage. Teens need to feel loved just as much as younger children. Feeling unloved with too busy parents, a teen readily accept the advances of a male seeking hook-up. Societies, religion, tradition, and families promoting teen marriage needs to be educated about the implications of teen marriage, and Awareness should be done about the implication, and how it can ruin a person’s life".