The UN chose the theme “My Voice, Our Equal Future” for the International Day of the Girl Child, highlighting the significance of the adolescent girl. Meanwhile, in Nigeria, 44.1% of said adolescents are forced into marriage before turning 18.
- Nigeria’s figures for early child marriage raises genuine concerns for development;
- There is an 18.5% prevalence of early marriage before 15 in Nigeria;
- Nigeria has the largest number of child brides in Africa;
- Nigeria’s commitment to the eliminate early child marriage will elapse by 2030;
- Gender Rights activists say government must understand that Nigeria’s progress hinges on empowering the girl child.
Early child marriage infringes on the fundamental human rights of the Girl Child. Not to mention the psychological trauma it wreaks. However, in Nigeria, the practice is rampant. As a result, we have girls with compromised development, early pregnancy, social isolation and such.
And according to a Multi-Cluster Survey conducted by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), about 18.5% of Nigerian women aged 15-49 tie the knot before their 15th birthday. For the men, only 2.2% of them marry before they turn 15.
Likewise, Dataphyte’s advocacy brochure revealed that 44.1 percent of women within the aforementioned age range get married by the time they are celebrating their 18th birthday. And by implication, two out of five Nigerian women get married by the time they are 18. In contrast, only 6 percent of them get married before they turn 18.
Even the United Nations (UN) noted how progress for adolescent girls was not in tandem with present realities. The agency also observed how COVID-19 reinforced many of these gaps. Ergo, it called for decisive actions related to the needs and opportunities of adolescent girls.
What’s Early Child Marriage?
Early marriage is a union between two people in which one or both parties are younger than 18 years of age. The NBS survey revealed that girls get into early marriages more than men do. Regardless of sex, UNICEF describes the process as a fundamental violation of human rights. According to the UN agency, it places a child at risk of marriage, such as serious health risks, complications from pregnancies, and sexual violence, including poverty.
What data says about Child Marriage in Africa
Alarming statistics have it that Nigeria has the highest number of child brides, per UNICEF’s 2018 report. The report estimated that 22 million child brides live in Nigeria, which accounts for 40% of all child brides in the region. Prevailing data also showed that poverty and cultural norms remain obstacles to this menace in Nigeria and across Africa.
In the same vein, Dataphyte’s report on Gender in Nigeria identified some challenges facing young girls and women in society. In another instance, Human Rights Watch observed how about 40% of girls in Sub-Saharan Africa pair up before 18. Worse, though, the figure could double by 2050 if nations failed to make progress concerning Sustainable Development Goal 5.
Activists say no progress until we empower the Girl Child
Miss Sanni Oyiza, a Lagos-based gender activist, says intensive grassroots advocacy on early marriage is imperative. And as the world marked the Day of the Girl Child, Oyiza called for proper sanctioning mechanisms for perpetrators of gender-based violence.
“We need to advocate for inclusive and non-discriminatory policies. It starts with a cultural overhaul, from norms as simple as the cost of giving birth to a male and female child in the Hospital. Aggressive interventions to secure education for every girl child is also a must. With these combined strategies, I am certain of a safer Nigeria for girls and women,” she said.
Mrs Ronke Giwa-Onafuwa has similar views. The Splash FM broadcaster and Convener of Who’s That Girl Project, says the government must understand that Nigeria’s progress hinges on empowering the girl child.
“In 2020, where the world has made such strides and advancements towards equality and empowering women; yes, even in the west, they are still clamouring for more, but in Nigeria, it is repugnant to see how far behind we still are and how low we rate women and girls.”
“Girls are human beings too, and have rights,” the Broadcaster noted. She also added how early marriage hinders female potential, citing trafficking as another bane to empowerment.
Forging ahead…
Education is the bedrock of any nation. The first step in promoting girls’ rights and gender inequalities is to empower a child. With that in mind, education becomes one effective way of preventing child marriage. And for that reason, the government must make this a priority. Moreover, it falls in line with the United Nations 2020 message, which beckons governments to prioritise the education and safety of adolescent girls. Nigeria has one more decade to sort out the challenge that is early marriage. This is per Nigeria’s commitment to target 5.3 of the Sustainable Development Goals. Before then, the government needs to make headways in this direction through policies and initiatives, not platitudes.