Let us know in particular what you think about the fact that 12% of the boys interviewed in the kavango east and zambesi regions believe it is right for parents to fo. The causes, consequences and solutions to forced child. Over the years we have seen children been married out as bride when they should be in school. Child marriage impedes girls education the education a girl receives is the strongest predictor of the age she will marry, according to icrw analysis in 18 of the 20 countries with the highest prevalence of child marriage. Child spouses in 2001, exploring both the reasons behind the perpetuation of child marriage and its harmful impact. Child marriage is an issue that has become a scourge to some girlchildren in nigeria. Child marriage in niger is a cultural issue, not an islamic one. Article 18 3 of the african charter on human and peoples rights. Influence of cultural value system and home on childrearing. Child marriage disproportionately affects girls more than boys. Out of the top 20 countries with the highest rates of child marriage across the globe, 17 are african countries, and nigeria ranks at number 11. Asia child marriage initiative, was commissioned by plan international and ukbased research firm coram international.
Effect of child marriage on girls school dropout in nepal. Abstract this brief has provided a basic profile of child marriage in nigeria. Child marriage also called early marriage is defined as a formal or informal union where one or both parties are under the age of 18. Child marriage in west and central africa thus, in order to decrease the number of child brides, the region will need to more than double the current levels of progress. Nepal, alongside bangladesh, afghanistan, and india, is considered a hotspot country in south asia, as the practice of child marriage is pervasive 5. Culture is a set of shared values, attributes, customs and physical objects that are maintained by people in a specific setting. Summary of child custody in nigeria rayfield associates. Child, early, and forced marriage and psychological trauma of girls in northeast. Value systems are embedded in the culture of people.
Child marriage is most common in rural areas 100 80 50 10 90 60 20 70 30 40 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100 rural urban child marriage is more common in rural areas child marriage is more common in urban areas togo suriname ghana guyana peru senegal nigeria 15. Pdf the article refers to a recent article on child marriage in nigeria, published in this journal, as a broad context to examine two issues. The digest provides guidelines towards ending the practice of child marriage through changing attitudes within families and societies, expanding opportunities for education, offering appropriate support to. Asia has some of the highest rates of child marriage in the world, with more than one third of all child marriages that occur globally occurring in the region 5. In simple terms, child marriage is the marriage of a person aged before majority.
Building resilience and resistance to child, early, and forced. These provide for offences against persons and the state, including homicide, assaultschildren. Early marriage in nigeria is against international conventions mentioned earlier in this work, which placed the legal age of consent to marriage at 18 years. Nigeria, particularly northern nigeria, has some of the highest rates of early marriage in the world. Where there is no marriage, common law or the customary laws of the various tribes apply. Divorce is the termination of a marital union, the cancelling andor reorganizing of the legal duties and responsibilities of marriage, thus dissolving the bonds of matrimony between a married couple under the rule of law of the particular country andor state.
The document which contains the conceptual frameworks used in understanding the drivers of child marriage, situational analysis, and key identified strategies to. Since the ratification of the crc, the au charter on the rights and welfare of. Are there countryspecific drivers of child marriage in this country. Womens rights and gender equality my dreams were destroyed. In short, child marriage is an infringement on the right of the girls to their dignity and freedom. Legal issues, complications, implications, prospects and solutions article pdf available january 2014 with,619 reads how we measure reads. Aug 28, 2015 sec 21 and sec 22 of the childs right act of nigeria 2003 cra.
According to an assessment conducted by unicef in 2005, among women ages 15 to 24, 48 percent were married before the age of 18 in south asia, 42 percent in africa, and 29 percent in latin america. Findings from the study are referred to in this report. Findings on the worst forms of child labor nigeria u. In nigeria, child marriage has ancient cultural, religious and economic ties. The child rights act, passed in 2003, raised the minimum age. Right of child in nigeriain nigeria, childrens rights are protected by law and held sacred, not only does the law protect the child. Nigeria is the 11th highest nation in the world for percentage of child marriages data shows a 9% decline in the prevalence of child marriage compared to 2003. Many girls who are married off before they turn 18 or are forced into early marriages are made to leave school, depriving them of their right to education and future independence.
Nigeria is the 11th highest nation in the world for percentage of child marriages. Nigeria ratified the convention on the rights of the child crc in 1991. The first is the statutory elaboration of the constitutional protection of children, and the second is the suggestion that religious marriages trump childrens rights in. Evidence shows that although most women in nigeria may know little about modern contraception, moreeducated women tend to use and know more about them. Three case scenarios are presented together with their associated. Child marriage and the ghanaian girl fxb center for health. Legal framework for the protection of child rights in nigeria code.
Forced child marriage is a lifechanging reality for many of the worlds girls. These girls are unaware of the consequences of this act. When girls are allowed to be girls, everybody wins. In many cultures, including that of nigeria, marriage is regarded as a legitimate way for two. The prevalence rate of child marriage is closely linked to the attainment of mdgs 1, 2,3,4,5 and 6 and therefore ending child marriage should be one of the core human development issues of the post2015 development agenda as well as the african unions agenda 2063. Ending child marriage will help break the intergenerational cycle of poverty by allowing girls and women to participate more fully in society. Building resilience and resistance to child, early, and. Aug 27, 2019 child marriage is the formal or informal marriage of a child under the age of 18 most often the marriage of a young girl to an older boy or man. May 06, 2015 child marriage undermines nearly every millennium development goal. Based on thousands of surveys and interviews with parents, community leaders, and children in communities in all 3 countries, the report details the underlying causes of child marriage alongside a suite of recommendations for countering the endurance of. Aug, 2015 they are various laws regulating custody of children in nigeria, the latest of which is the childs right act but despite this act, custody is still regulated predominantly by the marriage act and islamic laws. The national strategic plan to end child marriage in nigeria.
The worlds most rapidly and widely ratified human rights treaty, the crc sets out a basic, universal standard for a healthy, protected, decent childhood for every human being yet every minute a girl child is married off against her will, education attainment terminated and dreams aborted by this reoccurring. Pdf child marriage is often deployed as a response to crisis, considered by families and communities to be the best possible means of protecting. Addressing early marriage of young and adolescent girls girls in many resourcepoor countries often have little choice about whom or when they marry. In neighbouring west african country, niger, 76% of girls are married before the age of 18, while in central african republic the figure stands at 68% vii. New evidence on child marriage causes and solutions plan.
Print media and child marriage in nigeria global media journal. In 2017 in cameroon, 31% of girls are married off before their 18th birthday. Early child marriage in nigeria is a violation of the fundamental human rights of women as many girls are forced into marriage against their freewill and consent. Some as young as 8 or 9 are forced to trade their childhoods for a life that can be defined by isolation, violence and illness. The practice of child marriages in nigeria has never been pleasant. Data shows a 9% decline in the prevalence of child marriage compared to 2003. Addressing early marriage of young and adolescent girls. Jul 27, 2017 child marriage among girls is most common in south asia and subsaharan africa. One third of the girls in developing countries are married before the age of 18, while about one in nine are married before attaining age 15. Aug 06, 2019 building resilience and resistance to child, early, and forced marriage through acquiring skills findings from implementation research in nigeria judithann walker tuesday, august 6, 2019. This brochure explores the data and statistics behind those stories.
The causes, consequences and solutions to forced child marriage. Feb 04, 2015 the prohibition of child marriage act, 2006 it came into effect on 1 november 2007 to address and fix the shortcomings of the child marriage restraint act boys and girls forced into child marriages as minors have the option of voiding their marriage up to two years after reaching adulthood in certain circumstances, marriages of minors can be. The study investigated influence of cultural values and home on child rearing practices in nigeria. The share of girls marrying very early, before the age of 15. Empowered and educated girls are better able to nourish and care for their children, leading to healthier, smaller families. In 2017 in nigeria, 43% of girls are married off before the age of 18. A 2017 world bank study shows that ending child marriage in uganda could generate usd514 million in earnings and productivity. The merger of northern and southern nigeria in 1914 made it imperative to streamline the marriage laws in the new political entity, nigeria. The objective was to understand the present situation of child marriage in the country and identify causes of, and factors associated with, child marriage. The share of women ages 1822 who married as children is 42. This was achieved through the marriage ordinance 1914, which applied throughout nigeria. Nov 23, 2018 how can we stop child marriage in namibia.
The share of girls marrying very early, before the age of 15, has also declined. In late modernity, one will presume that child marriage has been outdated but that is so. It repealed the marriage ordinance 1908, the marriage proclamation 1907, and the foreign marriage ordinance 19. Fragile states eight out of ten countries with the highest child marriage rates are considered fragile states. Child marriages in india the red elephant foundation december 20 e 4 introduction child marriage refers to the marriage of a child younger than 18 years old,1 in accordance to article 1 of the convention on the right of the child. Empower 1,000 child brides in nigeria globalgiving. The age of marriage under customary law is governed in the three eastern states of nigeria by the age of marriage law 1956. Child marriage is driven by gender inequality and the belief that girls are somehow inferior to boys. For instance, in mozambique, the prevalence of child marriage is 56.
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