Child marriage is a harmful practice that violates the rights of girls and has serious consequences for their physical, social, and emotional well-being. In Nigeria, It is a pervasive problem, with over one-third of girls being married before the age of 18.
One of the most effective ways to end this in Nigeria is to focus on educating girls. When girls receive an education, they are more likely to delay marriage and childbirth, and they are also more likely to be able to earn a higher income and have more decision-making power in their households.
There are Several Ways to Support Girls’ Education in Nigeria:
- Invest in infrastructure: This includes building schools and providing resources such as textbooks, desks, and teachers.
- Provide financial assistance: Many families in Nigeria cannot afford to send their daughters to school, so providing scholarships or other forms of financial assistance can help girls stay in school.
- Promote girls’ enrollment: Encourage families to enroll their daughters in school and ensure that girls are not pulled out of school due to poverty, cultural norms, or other barriers.
- Address gender-based violence: Girls may face violence or harassment while trying to attend school, so it is important to address these issues and create a safe environment for girls to learn.
- Engage communities: Involve community members in efforts to educate girls and end child marriage. This can involve educating community members about the importance of girls’ education and the negative impacts of child marriage, as well as working with local leaders to advocate for change.
Also Read: The Situation of Girls’ Education in Nigeria
By investing in girls’ education and working to end child marriage, we can help empower girls in Nigeria and create a brighter future for them and their communities. By taking these actions, we can work to end child marriage in Nigeria and protect the rights of children.
Statistics
Every day, 41,000 girls marry before they are 18 years old. That’s 15 million girls every year. While child marriage can happen to both boys and girls, in most places around the world, the practice mostly affects girls.
Child marriage deeply affects child brides, their children, their families, and even countries. Ending it is a target under the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. Indeed, child marriage will cost developing countries trillions of dollars by 2030, according to a new report by the World Bank Group and the International Center for Research on Women.
Child Marriage
This can be devastating for child brides in terms of lost education and earnings opportunities as well as health risks when giving birth at a young age.
- This is a practice in which children, especially girls marry at young age, often before the age of 18. It is a harmful practice that violates the rights of children and has serious consequences for their physical, social, and emotional well-being.
- Child marriage often results in early and forced pregnancies, which can lead to complications during childbirth and increased risk of maternal mortality. Girls who marry at a young age are also more likely to experience domestic violence and less likely to have control over their own lives, including their reproductive and sexual health.
- This is also associated with lower levels of education and economic opportunities for girls. Girls who marry at young age are more likely to drop out of school and are less likely to be able to earn a higher income and have decision-making power in their households.
- Child marriage is a complex issue that is driven by a range of factors, including cultural practices, poverty, and lack of access to education. It is important to address these underlying causes in order to effectively end child marriage and protect the rights of children.
Also Read: Out-of-school Children in Adamawa Reduced to 50,000
Ending Child Marriage is Good Economics
World Bank Group analysis suggests that the economic cost of child marriage is high. Ending child marriage and early child-bearing could reduce fertility and lower population growth by about one tenth in high prevalence countries. The analysis suggests that globally, by 2030, gains in well-being for populations from lower population growth could reach more than $500 billion annually.
For children of mothers giving birth at a young age, there is reduced risks of children dying by age five or affected by delayed physical development (stunting). Globally, the estimated benefits of lower under-five mortality and malnutrition could reach more than $90 billion annually by 2030.
Another important benefit of ending this includes increase in women’s expected earnings in the labor market. Due in large part to the impact of child marriage on education, women who marry as children have, on average across 15 countries, earnings that are nine percent lower than if they had married later.
Finally, countries would also save on their education budget. By 2030, eliminating child marriage today would save many governments five percent or more of their education budget.