Someone asked me, is child marriage still being practiced in Nigeria? I gave her a firm yes! And I saw a look of disbelief and disappointment on her face as she was wondering how true it could be. Yes, it is somehow hard to believe that it is still happening at this age and time when development and technology has taken over the world. One would actually think that with the rise in the level of education, that some cultural practices that is against humanity would have stopped, but the reverse is the case.

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According to Girls not Brides, Nigeria ranks 14th among the 20 countries with the highest rate of child marriages, 16 of them being Africans. Research has also shown that in Nigeria, 43% of girls are married off before they turn 18, 17% are married off before they turn 15. Research has also shown that child marriage varies widely from one region to another, with figures as high as 76% in the North western Region and as low as 10% in the South East. So you can see that according to research, child marriage is still being practiced in this country called Nigerian. One needs to know facts about child marriage to be able to end this menace in the society. Child marriage is an act against humanity and the girls involved.

What is Child Marriage? Child marriage is defined by global organizations as a formal marriage or an informal union entered into before the age of 18. Can you see? The legally acceptable age for marriage is 18 and above. Most times, one partner is a child usually the female, so child marriage affects girls the most. It also involves girls being given in marriage to much older partners.

What is Marriage? You need to understand what marriage is before you will understand what child marriage is. Some people get into marriages without understanding the concept of marriage. Marriage is the legally or formally recognized union of two people as partners in a personal relationship, usually between consenting adults, which are a man and a woman. Pause and ask why God created Eve, a woman who was old enough to take responsibility, for Adam. Why didn’t he create a child for him to marry?

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Now you have known a bit about what marriage and child marriage is, let’s take a look at the possible causes.

1.Poverty: Poverty is the lack of essential needs like food, clothing and shelter that a family needs for survival. A family is saddled with the responsibility of providing for its members, and when these needs are not met, there is bound to be problems. A family that cannot provide for its members will certainly look for the easiest way to do so. And child marriage is considered and used as an economic strategy. This means one less mouth to feed, one less child to cloth, feed and educate. The bride price gotten from the marriage transaction is used to feed the remaining members of the family. Research has shown that these families, who give their daughters out near the age of puberty, fix a high bride price because they are virgins. Marriage is seen as a means to escape poverty and the poor girls are the victims.

2.Illiteracy: Most of the families practicing child marriages have little or no education. Education plays a very vital role in the development of the mindsets about certain issues. Parent who are educated tend to value the need for their children to be educated. Education is a strong indicator if a child will be married early in life. Research has shown that 82% of women with no education are married before age 18 as opposed to 13% of women who are not educated.

3.Religious and Cultural Practices: In the North Western Nigeria, child marriage is at a high side because of religion and cultural practices. The Muslims tend to marry off their children at the age before puberty. The Quran clearly kicks against child and forced marriage in which a woman is forced to enter or remain in any marriage against her will. In some cultures, if a woman remains unmarried at the age of 18, it shows that the woman is not marriageable and getting older before getting married reduces the potential of being married and also decreases the bride price.

Effects of Child Marriage

To every unwholesome practice, there are consequences and negative effects. The issue is that it affects the child not the perpetrators of the act. The following are the effects of child marriage.

1.Increase in Maternal Mortality Rate: Girls who are married at the age of adolescent are prone to maternal death more than older women because they are not physically matured enough to carry a pregnancy to term and also deliver the baby without complications. Majority of the girls get pregnant during their first year of marriage because the lack knowledge in family planning. There are many risk involved in giving birth as a child, because of a smaller pelvis the labor might be prolonged or even obstructed which can result in obstetric fistula. In the process of giving birth for the first time, complications may arise which can lead to death.

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2.Decrease in the Level of Education: Globally, girl brides and adolescent mothers tend to have less education. This is because at the time of marriage, their education which was probably low will be stopped as they take on their new responsibilities as wives and mothers. There will be no time for education as the new bride will be expected to take care of her new family, that is, the husband, relatives, children that may come from the marriage and herself. So these girls become poorer, less educated and less adequately nourished than mothers who are married at an older age.

3.Domestic Violence: The age differences between the girl bride and the man makes it easier for her to be subjected to physical and emotional abuse which can result in death. Most of the times, the girl is treated like a slave because she lacks the physical and psychological strength to resist. She is often used as a punch bag, a sex tool and the object of verbal abuse.

4.Stillborn Dreams: These girls are plugged of like unripe oranges before they even begin to bud. Their dreams are cut short, their hopes shattered, their destiny destroyed. How would you feel if you as a grown up man is being stopped from discovering your potentials? Promising young girls are forced to drop their dreams and take on the dreams of others. Let’s not forget that a cycle has been developed, the mother was married as a child, the daughter from that marriage will be married of the same way and so it goes.

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To end this unwholesome practice, laws should be put in place to check the practice of child marriage. The Nigerian constitution does not establish a minimum age of marriage. The Child Rights Act of 2003 sets the age of marriage at 18, but research has shown that only 23 states out of the 36 states have taken steps to implement the minimum age of marriage. The government should enact laws to prohibit child marriage and also make laws to sanction those who violet the laws.

Seminars should be conducted to sensitize people on child marriage and also warn them of the dangers of the practice.