Despite laws prohibiting it, child marriage is on the rise in Nigeria, Human Rights Watch said in a report published on Monday.
“It is disturbing that almost two decades after the Child Rights Act was passed, Nigerian girls are still being forced into child marriages,” said Mausi Segun, Africa director at Human Rights Watch.
“Nigerian states should urgently act to adopt, implement, and align existing laws with the provisions of the Child Rights Act, which criminalizes marriage before the age of 18 and protects girls’ rights.”
Although Child’s Rights Act was passed by the National Assembly in 2003, only 26 states have passed into law, a Child Rights Law modelled after the CRA 2003.
HRW latest report is based on its findings in two states – Kano and Imo.
“Human Rights Watch found that married girls in Imo and Kano states are denied their fundamental rights to education, a safe dwelling, and freedom from violence, and often do not have access to adequate health care,” the group said in a statement.
The group said some girls interviewed said they have tried to escape their forced marriages.
“One girl married at 14 had run away six times in three years but family members returned her to her husband each time,” HRW said.
“Imo State, a predominantly Igbo Christian state in southeastern Nigeria, adopted the Child Rights Law in 2004. But child marriage is an ongoing problem. Girls interviewed said that their families were the main drivers of their marriage, in many cases against their will.
“In the Sharia-legislated Kano State, the rates of child marriage are some of the highest in the country.”
The Kano State Assembly voted to adopt the Child Protection Bill, but Governor Abdullahi Umar Ganduje has yet to assent to it.
“The plight of girls and young women in Imo and Kano states highlights the broader issues involved in ending child marriage throughout Nigeria,” Segun said. “All states across Nigeria should strengthen laws and create effective systems to enforce them to guarantee the well-being and safety of Nigeria’s girls.”
