17 Ways To End Child Marriage in Nigeria was written to highlight the effect of child marriage on the affected child. One may be asking what is child marriage. Child marriage – a practice that violates the human rights of children under the age of 18 is yet to be abolished completely in society. The consequences of child marriage in Nigeria are very harmful to society. Child marriage leads to early fatherhood in male children which comes with undue pressure for him to cater to the family. It also affects his education and limits his job opportunities and advancement. The female child is worse affected. It leads to early pregnancy and puts her in danger during childbirth. Early birth usually comes with health challenges and complications.
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The high rate of Vesico-Vaginal Fistula (VVF) in Nigeria is attributed to early marriage. Some VVF patients are often abandoned at the hospital by their husbands. Apart from the life-threatening challenges, child marriage also affects the girl child’s education, limits her job opportunities and advancement, and; forces her into social isolation. With these harmful effects of child marriage in mind, there is a need to think of ways to end child marriage.
United Nations Children’s Education Funds (UNICEF), states that child marriage is any formal or informal union that involves a child under the age of 18. It is a practice that affects both male and female children though the prevalence is more in females. UNICEF data reveals that over 650 million female children are married before the age of 18 in the world. One-sixth of this population amounts to the number of boys who are also married before their 18th birthday. Though there is a steady decline of this practice in some part of the world, this is not the case in Nigeria as Nigeria presently have an estimated 22 million child brides. According to UNICEF data, 58% of girls in Nigeria are married out before the age of 18.
This article suggests 17 ways to end Child marriage in Nigeria as thus;
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Poverty eradication
There is a positive correlation between poverty and child marriage, especially in rural areas. In a bid to reduce economic burden and raise money for family upkeep, some poor families marry off their underaged female children to adult husbands who are much older than them. Sponsoring initiatives to eradicate poverty with the aim to provide a sustainable way of ending child marriage in Nigeria. There are a lot of poverty alleviation programs in Nigeria but what the country actually needs is poverty eradication. The National Social Investment Program in Nigeria which is a laudable program, lacks proper implementation and fails to achieve the intended goals. Some of the government failed because the funds did not get to the right people or lack of monitoring and mentoring for the beneficiaries. Such a program should be designed and implemented with Civil society Organizations (CSOs) working in rural, and urban communities. A case example of Civil society organizations working with local people in Nigeria is Social Development Foundations (SDFs) like Helpers Social Development Foundation and Fundamental Women Empowerment Foundation to reach out to the rural poor families that are supposed to be the target households.
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Education opportunities
Education opportunities through free education and scholarships should be given to children especially the girl children in the rural areas where the prevalence of child marriage is high. Civil society organizations and Social Development Foundations like Helpers Social Development Foundations that give free education to indigent children in society should be supported by the Government of Nigeria and co-operate bodies to advance their efforts towards ensuring that children before the age of 18 receive formal education. This will not only equip the children with knowledge, give them confidence and help them make critical decisions that affect their life; it will also reduce the economic burden on their poor parents.
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Sex education
Giving sex education to children at two years old will prepare them to go through the age of puberty and help them to avoid unwanted pregnancy which is one of the causes of early marriage. The field reports Helpers Social Development Foundation gotten during sex education in rural communities has shown that parents have not understood the importance of early sex education. There is a need for us to raise more awareness of the importance of early sex education for children. Prevention is better to cure. Partner with Helpers Foundation for rural communities outreach
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Population management
An uncontrolled population is one of the causes of large family size which often leads to extreme poverty and causes child marriage in Nigeria. Community health workers and Helpers social development foundations should be encouraged and supported to carry out counseling on family planning as a way of controlling the population, especially in rural areas.
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Advocacy against polygamy
Polygamy is one of the religious and traditional practices that cause early marriage, most especially in Northern Nigeria. Available report shows that a polygamous family is more likely to be poor compared to a monogamous family and that the increased number of children in polygamous families makes it increasingly difficult for the father to provide each child with adequate time and attention thereby exposing them to early marriage.
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Advocacy against too much emphasis on having a male child.
To stop child marriage, there should be a reduced emphasis on male children in Nigeria. In some cultures in Nigeria, more values are placed on male children than female children. These effects have caused women to give birth to the number of children they can control as a result of searching for a male child. Sometimes “only son” is mandated to marry early and procreate in search of male children that will ensure that the lineage is not closed. Where there are only female children, one of them is made to become pregnant at an early age in her paternal home in search of a male child for the family. To curb this unhealthy practice, civil society organizations like Helpers social development foundations should be mobilized to sensitive rural families in Nigeria especially in Southeast Nigeria on the need to place equal value on both the male and female children as a way of ending child marriage.
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Domestication and implementation of the Child Right Act
In 2003, Nigeria adopted the United Nations Convention on the Right of Child (UNCRC) making child marriage illegal in Nigeria. However, some states in Nigeria are yet to domesticate the act and implementation is low in the states that have domesticated it. Non Governmental Organizations (NGOs) and Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) should collaborate with Social Development Foundations (SDFs) like Helpers Social Development Foundation to mobilize actions toward domesticating and implementing the Child Right Act in all 36 states of Nigeria and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) to protect the children against child marriage.
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Improved collaborations among the stakeholders
To end Child marriage in Nigeria, there is a need for the Government of Nigeria to collaborate with NGOs, CSOs and other stakeholders like Helpers Social Development Foundation; and religious, traditional, and community leaders to share responsibilities, harmonize efforts and monitor progress.
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Improved coordination of strategies
There is a need for the Government of Nigeria through the Federal Ministry of Women’s Affairs and Civil society organizations like HelpSocial Development to improve the coordination of efforts by stakeholders to end child marriage in Nigeria.
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Sensitization of society on the dangers of child marriage
The Government of Nigeria through the National Orientation Agency and other stakeholders should embark on a sensitization program to enlighten the society especially the girls, women, and their families, and to create awareness of the dangers of child marriage to the affected child.
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Vocational training
Children who are at risk of child marriage should be engaged in vocational training. The identified child should be sponsored to restore her confidence.
17 Ways to End Child Marriage in Nigeria
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Retention of Girl Child in School
Efforts should be made to retain girl children in school to avoid child marriage. Amenities such as separate and functional toilets for girls should be put in place in all primary and secondary schools to make girl children comfortable in school.
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Policy Harmonization
There should be harmonization of existing relevant policies about ending child marriage to identify the gaps and improve on those policies to achieve positive results.
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Political will
Political will from the Government of Nigeria is required to drive actions against child marriage. This can be demonstrated through policymaking and the allocation of adequate financial and human resources toward ending child marriage. NGOs and CSOs should constantly engage the Government to ensure that momentum is sustained.
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Changing harmful cultural and socio-economic norms
Harmful norms that expose children to child marriage should be systematically changed with the help of community leaders.
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Research
There should be periodic research to understand the problem and factors causing child marriage to help in replanning. Making social amenities for everyone will help parents send their children to early marriage.
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Evaluation
There should be periodic evaluations of the strategies to determine what needs to be changed to ensure positive results.
Helpers Foundation provided this 17 Ways To End Child Marriage in Nigeria with the aim to educate the general public in other to take action. If you are searching for organizations in Africa to partner with to raise awareness to reduce the incidence of child marriage sexual exploitation, why not partner with Helpers Social Development Foundation?