MARRIAGE is an institution ordained by God. It is a union of two people (Adults), usually a man and a woman, to become husband and wife. This union called marriage is to be undergone between two mature people, with mature minds.
The Merriam Webster Dictionary defines marriage as, “the state of being united to a person of the opposite sex as husband or wife in a consensual and contractual relationship recognized by law.”
Marriage, as recognized in the constitution is to be undergone by adults from 18 years and above, however, there are marriages below 18 years, and this is referred to as child marriage. Child marriage is a menace plaguing the entire world, though Africa has the highest incidence of child marriage.
What is child marriage?
Child marriage is a formal marriage or informal union entered into by an individual before reaching the age of 18. Child marriage affects both boys and girls, though the overwhelming majority of those affected are girls, most of whom are in poor socio economic situations. The Oxford English Dictionary defines child as, “a person who is below the age of adulthood; a minor, a person who is below the legal age of responsibility and accountability. Therefore, when a child engages in child marriage, it means shoving the responsibilities of an adult to a child, usually a female, and which that child will not be able to handle.
According to United Nations International Children Education Fund (UNICEF), Africa has the highest incidence rates of child marriage, with over 70% of girls marrying under the age of 18, in three nations. Among Nigerian women between the ages of 20 and 24, 76% reported marrying before the age of 18, and 28% reported marrying before the age of 15. As of 2006, 15-20% of school dropouts in Nigeria were the result of child marriage. In 2013, Nigeria attempted to change section 29, sub section 4 of its laws and thereby prohibit child marriages, however, it was opposed by the Islamic states of Nigeria. Child marriage seems to be on the increase in Nigeria, though laws have been made to stop this dilemma. However, it has overtime been rebuffed by the Northerners who are core Muslims, and who uphold the ‘doctrine’ of child marriage.
Causes Of Child Marriage
Generally, the causes of child marriage include, poverty, bride price, dowry, cultural traditions, laws that allow child marriages, religious and social pressures, regional customs, fear of remaining unmarried, illiteracy and perceived inability of women to work for money.
Paradox
Parents who engage their children in child marriage often feel that this marriage provides their daughters with a sense of protection from sexual promiscuity and safe from sexually transmitted infections. However, in reality; young girls tend to marry older men who have had lots of sexual expeditions thereby, placing them at an increased risk of contracting a sexually transmitted infection. Married girls are more likely to get infected with diseases such as HIV or Human Papilomavirus (HPV), than their unmarried counterparts.
In addition, there are consequences of engaging in child marriage, of which girls are mostly affected. Child marriage has lasting consequences on girls. These consequences range from their health, to education, to domestic violence, to social and economic development. A large percent of girls who enter into child marriage are often being compelled to by their parents, the society, their tradition, and the consequences accrued to involving in child marriage are often suffered by the girls who engage in it.
Consequences Of Child Marriage
There are so many consequences of engaging in child marriage and these consequences include:-
Health risk – Child marriage threatens the health and life of girls. First of all, when a girl is married as a child, she cannot make the decision of when to give birth, the society propels her to give birth at such a tender age. Therefore, complications may arise from pregnancy and child birth, which are the major causes of death among adolescent girls below the age of 19 in Nigeria.
Pregnant girls aged 15 to 19 are twice as likely to die in childbirth as women in their 20s and girls under the age of 15 are five to seven times more likely to die during childbirth. These consequences are due to largely to girls’ physical immaturity where the pelvis and birth canal are not fully developed.
Teenage pregnancy, particularly below age 15, increases risk of developing fistula. Married girls also have an increased risk of contracting sexually transmitted diseases, cervical cancer, and malaria, compared to their unmarried peers.
Worst still, child marriage does not only affect the mother’s health, but that of the child also, mothers under the age of 18 years old have 35 to 55% increased risk of delivering pre-term or having a low birth weight baby than a mother who is above 18 years of age. In addition, infant mortality rates are 60 years of age. In addition, infant mortality rates are 60% higher when the mother is under 18 years old. Children born to child mothers tend to have weaker immune systems and face a heightened risk of malnutrition.
Illiteracy And Poverty
Most developing countries, including Nigeria have a high rate of illiteracy and poverty, and one of the major causes of this is child marriage. Child marriage often ends a girl’s education, particularly in the Northern part of Nigeria. In line with this, uneducated girls are more prone to child marriage. Early marriage impedes a young girl’s ability to continue with her education as most drop out of school following marriage to focus their attention on domestic duties and having or raising children.
Education, they say is the bedrock of the society. Without education, the female child has fewer opportunities of living her dreams, of become someone great in future, of contributing positively, her own quota to the society, thereby making her prone to child or early marriage.
In addition, child marriage leads to poverty in the sense that these girls do not have education, thereby leaving her with fewer opportunities to get a job, earn an income, and financially provide for herself and her children, resulting in poverty.
Also, given that girls in child marriages are often significantly younger than their husbands, they become widowed earlier in life, and may face economic and social challenges for a greater portion of their lives, compared to women who get married as adults.
Domestic violence
Girls who are involved in child marriage are more prone to domestic violence. The large age gap between the girl child and her spouse makes her more vulnerable to domestic violence and nonconsensual sexual intercourse. Girls who marry as children face severe and life-threatening marital violence at higher rates. The large age gap between the husband and the girl child increases the power and control a husband has over his wife, thereby contributing to an increase in spousal violence.
Violation Of Women’s Rights
The United Nations, through a series of conventions has declared child marriage a violation of human rights. Child marriages violates a range of women’s interconnected rights such as equally on grounds of sex and age, to receive the highest attainable standard of health, to be free from slavery, access to education, freedom of movement, freedom from violence, reproductive rights, and the right to consensual marriage, and the consequences of these violations impact not only the woman, but her children and the society in general.
A Decline In National Development
High rates of child marriages negatively affects the nation, and hampers her development rate. It affects a nation’s economic development because it hinders the girls’ education and labour market participation. Some researchers and activists note that high rates of child marriage reduces global efforts to eradicate poverty due to its effects on educational attainment, economic and political participation, and health.
Kills The Girls’ Dreams
Early or child marriage results in a loss of childhood. Girls are inhibited from realizing their dreams and aspirations in life. Their rights are violated and they lose the ability to choose how their life is fulfilled. The dream of becoming someone great and influential in life is killed through child marriage, as it hinders them from pursuing their education, from getting a degree in school.
Despite the havoc caused by child marriage in Nigeria, there are still some recommended solutions to end child marriage, which if duly followed, will put a stop to this dilemma in Nigeria, and indeed the entire world.
Solutions To Child Marriage
Education opportunities should be provided by the government (Federal, State, and local governments), free education should be provided most especially at the primary and secondary school levels, thereby, reducing or even totally eliminating child marriage in the country. Providing opportunities for girls to continue their education or earn money, while expanding their skills, and available choice in life, is one effective strategy to delay marriage.
Proper Enforcement Of Laws Prohibiting Child Marriage
Although, laws forbidding early marriage exist in most countries, much effort is still needed in ensuring enforcement of such laws. Such laws should be enshrined in the constitution, and there should be punishment for violation of such laws.
Provision of free health services and information to young women
The government needs to provide free health care services to young women. These young girls and their parents also need to be informed of the dangers inherent in involving in child marriage and the risk involved in it. By so doing, reducing the rate of child marriage in Nigeria.
Empowering young women through various programmes
Various educative programmes should be organised by government, relevant bodies and individuals in order to empower young women, by teaching them on how to start a trade teaching them the importance of education, teaching them a skill through various and series of trainings. Such programmes should be encouraged and available not only in schools, but in communities and rural areas as well. Public education and advocacy projects that target policy – makers could be useful in preventing early marriage, and in making visible the problems and risks that the young brides face. Through the programmes, the awareness of parents, community leaders, and policy makers are raised, about the health and rights’ implication so young girls marrying much older men.
Develop social and economic programs for out of school girls
Social and economic programmes should be provided for out of school girls, including non-formal education programmes. For girls who are not in school, these programmes will help build in her a sense of financial independence, as she will be able to develop business ideas.
Child marriage has indeed caused more harm than good as it has stripped many young girls of their childhood, their dreams, their basic human rights and their health, however if we can follow these recommended steps, then, we can be able to eradicate child marriage in Nigeria. Say no to child marriage, as it is illegal, unfair, and against the law.

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