ABUJA, Nigeria — In September 2000, the U.N. established a list of goals which were necessary for a country to achieve in order to enhance their standard of development.
These millennium goals included the following:
- Put an end to extreme hunger and poverty;
- Create a universal primary education;
- Raise awareness of gender equality;
- Reduce child mortality;
- Improve maternal health;
- Fight against HIV, AIDS, malaria and other diseases;
- Environmental sustainability;
- Create global partnerships for development;
Though these goals are beneficial, several countries were found in violation of six out of the eight because they allow the taboo practice of child brides.
The Universal Declaration of Human Rights states, a marriage can only be entered into by free and fully consenting individuals. However, some impoverished countries do not abide by this because they marry off girls before 18 years of age, some even as young as 15 years of age. These girls do not have the capacity to consent because they are under the guardianship of their parents. Therefore the tradition of child brides is a human rights violation.
Statistics shows that girls from poor families are nearly twice as likely to marry before they are 18 years old than girls from wealthier families. In some countries that allow child brides, girls are not valued as much as boys. They are seen as a burden. By marrying off a daughter parents will be allowed to reduce their family expenses by ensuring they have one less person to feed, clothe and educate. In communities where a ‘bride price’ is prevalent, the bride’s family can pay the groom’s family less money if the bride is young and uneducated.
Child brides in Nigeria are a part of a global issue and the practice has been deeply rooted in the traditions of many cultures and remains largely unchallenged. Countries with the highest prevalence of child brides are concentrated in Western and Sub-Saharan Africa. In Nigeria, almost 50 percent of girls are married before they reach 18 years of age. The percentage differs from region to region. In the Northwest numbers reach as high as 75 percent, while in The Southeast numbers are as low as 10 percent.
It has been difficult to combat this problem because when the Nigerian Constitution was created it does not establish a minimum age of marriage. Thankfully, in 2003 The Child Rights Act set the age limit to 18 years of age. Although this legislation was a positive change, it was created at the federal level, which means it is up to the state to choose how to apply the law. Interestingly enough, only 24 of 36 Nigerian states have taken concrete steps to implement this change.
The concerns with child brides in Nigeria have had a political backlash because politicians have had a habit of marrying teenagers. In 2010, the issue was brought to the forefront when Senator Ahmed Sani Yerima, a representative from Zamfara West in northern Nigeria, married a 13-year-old Egyptian girl. Three years later, with the help of his fellow Senators, he opposed a motion that would remove a constitutional loophole which could prevent girls under 18 years of age from being able to marry.
More recently, in May 2016 President Muhammadu Buhari has taken a stance against the practice of child brides in Nigeria. He has called for the country’s reform on this issue and that there should be an end to all forms child abuse, including forced early marriage and child exploitation. According to Buhari “no child or indeed any other Nigerian should be put through the brutality of abduction, violence or forced marriage in whatever. Every girl has a right to education and choice of life.”
– Needum Lekia
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