Girls not Brides: The impact of Child Marriage onChildren inNigeria

Abstract

Birth, marriage and death are the standard trio of key events in most people’s lives. But only one marriage is a matter of choice. The right to exercise that choice was recognized as a principle of law even in Roman times and has long been established in international human rights instruments. Yet in Nigeria, many girls, enter marriage without any chance of exercising their right or consent to choose. Some are forced into marriage at a very early age. Others are simply too young to make an informed decision about their marriage partner or about the implications of marriage itself. They may have given what passes for ‘consent’ in the eyes of custom or the law, but in reality, consent to their binding union has been made by others on their behalf. The assumption is that once a girl is married, she has become a woman even if she is only 12.  While the age of marriage is generally on the rise, early marriage of girl below the age of 18 is still widely practiced in Nigeria. While early marriage takes many different forms and has various causes, one issue is paramount. Early marriage is a violation of human rights. The right to free and full consent to a marriage is recognized in the 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) and in many subsequent human rights instruments and consent that cannot be ‘free and full’ when at least one partner is very immature. For girls, the paper revealed that early marriage has profound physical, intellectual, psychological and emotional impacts, cutting off educational opportunity and chances of personal growth. For girls, in addition, it will almost certainly mean premature pregnancy and childbearing, and is likely to lead to a lifetime of domestic and sexual subservience over which they have no control. Yet many societies, primarily in northern Nigeria, continue to support the idea that girls should marry at or soon after puberty. Parents and heads of families make marital choices for daughters and sons with little regard for the personal implications. Rather, they look upon marriage as a family building strategy, an economic arrangement or a way to protect girls from unwelcome sexual advances. Therefore, the paper recommended that the formation of partnerships is a strategy that should be employed so that it will increases the chances of success in addressing this problem. To end the practice of early marriage, resources must be mobilised at all levels, within a coordinated and cooperative structure. All actors have a role to play families, communities, health providers, education services, religious leaders, local and national government, and international organizations. NGOs can provide valuable lessons from the field, and offer a means of establishing new initiatives.