Despite the efforts both National and International, girl child marriage is still widely practiced act in Nigeria, especially in the northern part of the country. This was interpreted to a lot of factors like misinterpreted religious scriptures, desires, poverty, war, and cultural practices. Many girls have been forced into marriage, and in the northern context, this is seen as a sign of honor.
Recent statistics show that 43% of girls in Nigeria are married before their 18th birthdays, and 16% are married before the age of 15. Nigeria has the 11th highest prevalence of child marriage in the world, and the third highest number of women married or in a union before the age of 18 in the world.
The Hausa-Fulani tribes in the northern still see child marriage as part of their tradition. This, therefore, means that the National Assembly cannot legislate with respect to customary law marriages, and it’s why the minimum age for marriage prescribed in the Child Rights Act ( CRA) cannot be applied to such marriages.
To further buttress, the key factors that play a major role in promoting this act are parents and community leaders. There has been a significant argument that the religion of Islam practiced in the northern region is responsible for this social degradation. In an interview with Ataba Mohammed, a human rights activist and an advocate for women rights, he stated that girl child marriage is deeply rooted in the northern part due to practice of the Shariah law.
However, in an another interview with Ibrahim Ahmad (an Islamic cleric), he refuted that Islam does not allow for girl child marriage, and that the religion gives a green light for parents to accept marriage offers only when their daughters are mentally, physically, and emotionally fit for marriage. Also, Kudirat Abiola, co-founder of GirlsNotBride, affirms in an interview that the issue of girl child marriage in the northern region isn’t a religious issue but because of poverty and other factors.
Most research on child marriage in northern Nigeria has focused on the prevalence and consequences of marrying young. Much less is understood about risk and protective factors for child marriage, which would provide important, evidence-based points for policy and program intervention. Also scarce is documentation on the current range and type of programmatic efforts by which best practices can be created, scaled up and replicated. This report aims to contribute actionable information on risk and protective factors for child marriage and on existing programs to combat it.
Causes
Some parents in the northern part of Nigeria see girl child marriage as a strategy to escape from financial crises by means of exchanging their daughters for goods and resources that support their survival. Girls from the poorest households are at greater risk of becoming child brides.
Another major reason for increase in girl child marriage in northern Nigeria is because of armed conflict and terrorism. The Northern Nigeria has been going through nonstop of violence and terrorism like clashes between government and armed groups Isis linked forces like Al-qaeda and Bokoharam terrorist organizations based in the Northern region in Nigeria. This has compromised the education and has led to drastic increase in girl child marriage. This makes it more vulnerable to early forced marriage as parents perceive early child marriage as means of protecting and providing for their daughters.
Child marriage not only is recognized as a human rights violation but also as a barrier to development. Considerable evidence shows that the negative consequences of child marriage are numerous and especially harmful for girls, their children and their communities.
Effects
Many girl children have become victims of oppression, rape, death and majorly psychological problem. A recent survey has shown that early marriage makes girl brides stand risk of developing mental disorder, anxiety depression, drug addiction and a whole lot of psychologically related problems. Most especially, marriage for a teenage girl whose stage in adolescence has not been completed, can lead to psychological deterioration, because her side level of maturity is not sufficient enough to help her cope with responsibilities that come within the marriage.
DR Ralph Emeka Ogbolu, a clinical psychiatrist and coordinator of the suicide research and prevention initiative at Lagos University Teaching Hospital ( LUTH ) said, “as human beings in normal psychological development, we move from one stage to another, previous learning experience helps us develop on more learning experience as we grow older, the same thing with the development of the mind." "A child who cannot sit will now begin to run; everything follows a stage, the same thing with the development of the mind at that stage. He Dr.Ogbolu added; that traumatic experience of early marriage on a girl bride, leaves her with deep wounds beyond the psychological trauma, and the child would have to face the problem of child bearing.
Solutions
Girl child marriage in the northern part of Nigeria needs to be stopped and it calls for a vivid and significant step in tackling it. Parents, family heads, traditional rulers and other stakeholders must realize that there is a need for change of attitudes toward child marriages.
Awareness should be created that it is not a fight against religious beliefs; it is to save the lives of children from all the attendant consequences. Girls must be empowered through education. For example, Sokoto State {a northern state in Nigeria} has a scheme whereby young married girls who dropped out of school can return to complete their education. Girl’s education is said to reduce child and maternal mortality and high incidence of HIV/AIDS. It increases women’s skill and productivity which consequently eradicate poverty and strengthen the economy in the long term.
Susan Uboghu, co-founder of of GirlNotBride said in an interview that, if the economical problem of the country is solved, it will be a giant lip towards putting a stop to Girl Child Marriage in the northern part of Nigeria.
In conclusion, not only the parents of females in the northern parts of the state have a role to play in this task but also the government need to take drastic measures to deter the habit of forcing girl child into marriage. One way to move forward in ending child marriage once and for all is to raise general awareness of this issue and work towards achieving greater importance for girls by giving them the tools to lead successful lives.