BETWEEN CULTURE AND CHILD ABUSE – TRIBAL MARKS

 

As a first time mom, I watched my son go through pain after his circumcision. I kept asking why there is no anesthesia for babies. Why should a new born go through such pain? I couldn’t sleep for days, secretly nursing the thought that his tender skin might never heal. Now, imagine an adult in that situation. Won’t he scream down the hospital building? Babies are really strong, and circumcision is a necessity as the health benefits are enormous.

Can we say the same of tribal marks? Why give a baby several cuts on his/her face with a hot knife laced with ash? The creepiest part is that the parents seem unbothered amid heart-wrenching cries from those children. How do they sleep at night after allowing their children go through torture at such tender age? I would really like to know whether the local tribal mark giver made them a special portion to drink so they can lose their parent instincts.

Let’s consider a brief history of tribal marks. From the Yoruba in the southwest, to Igbo in the east and Hausa in the north, the marks serve different purposes: identification, healing, spiritual protection, beautification. Tribal marks became an important form of identity during the slave trade, to make it easy for people to reconnect with their lost families. In some places, the marks are given to every firstborn regardless of sex, to show that the child is a legitimate born child. Some tribes believe that tribal marks are for “beautification”; something that should be worn with pride. (https://guardian.ng/life/the-symbolism-of-tribal-marks-in-nigeria/).

This practice should be gone with civilization already, shouldn’t it? Some people have cried out that other people are ashamed to associate with them because of their tribal marks. Some people are tagged ugly because they have tribal marks. They are trolled when makeup artists attempt to transform them, making the marks look less visible. What about the men that can’t even use makeup? They are perceived as diabolic by some people, depending on how bad the cuts appear. Just some imaginary “evil” all in our heads because some people, with no fault of theirs, look a certain way. It is totally unreasonable to subject anyone to a sad life because of tradition.

Are there consequences? The Child's Right Act is very clear on the issue of tattoos and skin marks. The section provides that: 

(1) No person shall tattoo or make a skin mark or cause any tattoo or skin mark to be made on a child.  

(2) A person who tattoos or makes a skin mark on a child commits an offence under this Act and  is liable on conviction to a fine not exceeding five thousand naira or imprisonment for a term not  exceeding one month or to both such fine and imprisonment. 

What saddens me about provisions like this, first of all, is that people are not even aware that it exists. Others may be aware but they have no interest whatsoever in enforcing it. Secondly, what is N5,000 or one month imprisonment? Does that scare anyone? Most of these laws need to be reformed, for real.

Do not get me wrong. I love tradition. Our cultural heritage is rich and beautiful. But it’s high time we did away with some of these unreasonable practices. A child has no will power to say yes or no before having his/face torn with hot knife and all manner of herbs. That child will grow up one day and become resentful, suffer for what they had no hand in, because their parents decided to practice tradition. What manner of tradition? Why not let them grow up, and then decide to cut their face into bits, however they please?

We need to start having these conversations more often, carry placards if possible, enlighten parents especially in rural areas. No child deserves to go through that pain, and then grow up feeling ugly because of how their parents and kinsmen decided to make them look. Look at the picture under this article. Isn’t it disturbing? Please, speak up against this barbaric act and let’s put an end to it.