There are still 23 million child brides in Nigeria, according to a report by Save the Children International, SCI, Nigeria, titled "Budgeting to end Child Marriage in Nigeria," which highlights how vulnerable children are to social pressures in the country.
The report, released by Uju Kennedy-Ohanenye, the Minister of Women Affairs, revealed that Northern Nigeria has the highest rate of child brides—48 percent of women marry before turning 15 and 78 percent marry before turning 18—and that sufficient funding is needed at all governmental levels to effectively and sustainably combat this threat to girls' futures.
The report states that child marriage jeopardizes girls' rights and gender equality because it is both a cause and an effect of adolescent pregnancy. It is also associated with maternal mortality, low educational attainment, continuous exposure to gender-based violence, illiteracy, and intergenerational poverty.
A portion of the report states: "Nigeria, home to over 218 million people, is home to 23 million child brides, with two out of every five women getting married when still minors.
In Northern Nigeria, where rates are highest, 48 per cent of women are married before age 15 while 78 percent are married before age 18.5 child marriage is both a cause and a consequence of adolescent pregnancy and is linked to maternal mortality, poor education, ongoing exposure to GBV, illiteracy, and intergenerational poverty.”
In order to protect girl children and ensure that they stay unmarried and attend school, the report urged the government to take a comprehensive approach to the problem of child marriage. It also recommended that more classrooms and schools be built in order to accommodate more girls, which would increase the budget for ending child marriage.
Concurrently, Uju Kennedy-Ohanenye, the Minister of Women Affairs, expressed her outrage over the cruel treatment of girls in child marriage.
During her keynote speech, Kennedy-Ohanenye revealed that the Nigerian Governors' Forum (NGF) had approved the creation of a mobile court to try child abusers under the Child Rights Act (CRA) in all of the nation's states. She said that children would be well-protected because of the heavy prosecution of offenders, including parents who permit or encourage such abuses that violate the rights of children who are citizens of the country).
In order to combat the threat of child marriage, she also urged the States to collaborate with the federal government.
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But she also said that kids should acquire skills so that when they turn eighteen, they can use those skills to earn money for their own needs.
Earlier, Amanuel Mamo, Director of Advocacy, Campaigns, Communication and Media, on behalf of Faton Krasniqi, Interim Country Director, SCI, Nigeria, noted that budgeting is crucial to any child rights agenda because it safeguards the rights of children and considers their future.
Krasniqi said: “Child marriage erodes and dries the future of the girls, their dreams and hope in life. One of the girls who unfortunately end up in early, child and forced marriage could possibly be someone who invents and have a solution for some of the major challenges that the world is facing today.
“Girls have the potential to transform the world positively with
school instead of letting them get married as a child. A girl child is supposed to study, she is not mature enough to be a wife or a mother, which cuts her dreams short.
“The creation of National Technical Working Group on Ending Child Marriage also brought coalition of stakeholders from the government, CSOs and INGOs with an intention to drive the implementation the strategy.
“The existing laws, strategies and plans can only be fulfilled if it is budget for. Therefore, the finding of this research underscores the importance of allocating adequate financial resources to tackle the underlying causes of child marriage.
“The report provides a review and analysis of how the government has been budgeting towards the efforts of ending child marriage in Nigeria.
“There are some bold measures that the Federal and State governments have taken to advance child rights in Nigeria. The National Strategy to End Child Marriage (2016-21)is among the major tools that the Federal Ministry of Women Affairs has been championing.
“The creation of National Technical Working Group on Ending Child Marriage also brought coalition of stakeholders from the government, CSOs and INGOs with an intention to drive the implementation the strategy.
“The existing laws, strategies and plans can only be fulfilled if it is budget for. Therefore, the finding of this research underscores the importance of allocating adequate financial resources to tackle the underlying causes of child marriage.
“The report provides a review and analysis of how the government has been budgeting towards the efforts of ending child marriage in Nigeria.
“The study identifies bottlenecks and provides recommendations on what should be addressed to accelerate the fight against early, child and forced marriage.”
Speaking on behalf of the children, Hon. Shamiga Rita, the one-time acting governor of Benue State and a Girl Champion of SCI Nigeria from Benue State, pleaded for action to protect girls' futures from child marriage.
“The issue of child marriage is very worrisome and challenging because it cuts the girls’ lives short and hinders them from achieving their dreams and aspirations including full potential.
“Government need to implement the child rights law, and we need actions, budgeting and planning should be children inclusive. We also need sensitization, and we also advocate for child’s right, and parents need sensitization. We want change, and if the girl-child is denied her right how can we have this change?”, Rita asked.
The First Lady of Katsina was represented by Zainab Musa, the Katsina State Commissioner for Women Affairs, who expressed concern over the issue of child marriage and stated that their plan of action is to return the budgeting proposal from SCI Nigeria and make sure it is budgeted for in order to end child marriage in the State.
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