In Nigeria, particularly northern Nigeria has some of the
highest rates of early marriage in the world. The Child Rights Act, passed in
2003, raised the minimum age of marriage to 18 for girls. However, federal law
may be implemented differently at the state level, and to date, only a few of
the country’s 36 states have begun developing provisions to execute the law. To
further complicate matters, Nigeria has three different legal systems operating
simultaneously—civil, customary, and Islamic—and state and federal governments
have control only over marriages that take place within the civil
system.
Domestic violence is a widespread problem; some studies report that up
to 81 percent of all married women admit experiencing some form of verbal or
physical abuse by their husbands.
(One study of Demographic and Health Survey data suggests that the lower the age at marriage, the higher the risk of domestic violence)
(One study of Demographic and Health Survey data suggests that the lower the age at marriage, the higher the risk of domestic violence)
A high prevalence of child marriage exists Nationwide, 20
percent of girls were married by age 15, and 40 percent were married by age
18.Child marriage is extremely prevalent in some regions; in the Northwest
region, 48 percent of girls were married by age 15, and 78 percent were married
by age 18. Although the practice of polygyny is decreasing in Nigeria, 27
percent of married girls aged 15–19 are in polygynous marriages.
Married girls receive little or no schooling.Virtually no married girls are in school; only 2 percent of
15–19-year-old married girls are in school, compared to 69 percent of unmarried
girls.Some 73 percent of married girls compared to 8 percent of unmarried girls
received no schooling, and three out of four married girls cannot read at all.
Large spousal age differences are common and may limit
married girls’ autonomy and decision making ability
The younger a bride is, the greater the age difference
between her and her spouse. In Nigeria, the mean age difference between spouses
is 12 years if the wife marries before age 15, compared to 8.5 years if the
wife marries at or after age 20. Spousal age differences are even greater when
the girl is a second or third wife. In polygynous marriages, the mean age
difference between spouses is 15.3 years, compared to 8.8 years in monogamous
marriages.
First births have elevated risks; the youngest first-time
mothers and their children are especially vulnerable to poor health outcomes. Eighty-four percent of first births to adolescent girls in
Nigeria occur within marriage. Among married girls aged 15–19, 62 percent have
already given birth. Almost one out of four married girls gave birth before age
15.
O V E R V I E W O F
C H I L D M A R R I A G E
CHILD MARRIAGE BRIEFING NIGERIA
Child marriage is a fundamental violation of human rights.
Many girls (and a smaller number of boys) are married without their free and
full consent. By international conventions, 18 years has been established as
the legal age of consent to marriage.
If the timing of marriage does not change, over 100 million
girls will be married as children in the next ten years
Child marriages is closely associated with no or low levels
of schooling for girls. In West and Central Africa, girls with three or fewer years
of schooling are five times more likely than girls with eight or more years of
schooling to marry before age 18.
Poverty leads many families to withdraw their daughters from
school and arrange marriage for them at a young age. These girls are denied the
proven benefits of education, which include improved health, lower fertility,
and increased economic productivity.
Child marriage, in many instances, marks an abrupt
transition into sexual relations with a husband who is considerably older and
unchosen.
The younger a bride is, the larger the age difference
between her and her spouse.
Parents requently arrange marriages for their daughters
without their input or consent; in Pakistan, only 3 percent of married girls
had some say in choosing their spouse.In some settings it appears that the
younger a girl is when she gets married, the less say she has in the choice of
her husband.
Recommendations to promote later, chosen, legal marriage
Raise awareness of
the extent of early marriage and the human rights abuse it constitutes.
Encourage
state-level authorities to adopt the federal law that establishes 18 as the
legal age of marriage for girls.
Engage communities
through public campaigns, pledges, or incentive schemes.
Raise the awareness
of parents, community leaders, and policymakers about the health and rights implications of young
girls marrying much older men.
Develop special
social and health support structures for young, first-time mothers.
Encourage
governments and communities to commit to getting girls to school on time and to
keeping them in school through the secondary level. Being in school during
adolescence has important health and development benefits for girls.39
Develop social and
economic programs for out-of-school girls, including nonformal education
programs.
(source Population Council-2004)