Introduction
Child marriage usually refers to a social phenomena practiced in some countries and societies, where a young child (usually a girl below the age of fifteen) is married to an adult man.
Reasons for early/child marriages.
• Poverty; This is mainly the major reason of child marriage. Most of the child marriage happens in rural areas or undeveloped parts of the country.
• Gender Inequality; This is influenced mainly by cultural beliefs. Especially in Northern part of Nigeria, where discrimination against at every level, women & girls traditionally have limited access to education and proper amenities to lead a good life.
• Insecurity; With the growing rate of women harassment and rape cases, people get insecure about their daughters future, parents get them married with an elderly person with the belief that their daughter is in safe hands for the rest of their life.
Impact Of Child Marriages.
•Domestic violence.
•Early age pregnancy.
•Exposure to HIV and other STIs or VVF.
•Illiteracy.
Solutions To Early/Child Marriage.
•Framing laws against child marriage.
•Increasing access to girl education.
•Changing harmful cultural norms
•Addressing the unique needs of child brides.
•Evaluating programs to determine what works.
