A recent World Bank report titled “Deliver the future: Catalysing opportunities for women, children and adolescents” reveals that across the world, over 12 million girls have their education truncated annually due to early marriage.
In particular, the report also stated that 250 million women and girls in developing countries who want to avoid pregnancy are not using contraceptives, which it attributes to lack of access or lack of support. Nigeria is a key player in the group of countries guilty of the unwholesome practice of girl-child marriage; and obviously, Nigerian girls are endangered!
Section 21 states that ‘‘No person under the age of 18 years is capable of contracting a valid marriage, and accordingly, a marriage so contracted is null and void and of no effect whatsoever.
Again, the negative consequences of child marriage go beyond the girls themselves. Available evidence suggests that children of child brides are 60 per cent more likely to die in the first year of life than those born to mothers older than 19, and families of child brides are more likely to be poor and unhealthy.
Specifically, on COVID-19, school closures, economic stress, poverty, pregnancy, and parental deaths due to the pandemic, isolation from friends and support networks are putting the most vulnerable girls at increased risk of child marriage. Furthermore, girls are more likely to drop out of education and not return, while job losses and increased economic insecurity may also force families to marry their daughters to ease financial burdens.
Nigeria Latest News, Nigeria Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Nigeria on the right path to sustainable blue economy, says Pauli | The Guardian Nigeria NewsThe creation of the Blue Economy ministry has the potential of creating the needed impetus to ensure a sustainable future and comprehensive approach that seeks to balance economic growth, environmental protection, and social equity within the context of ocean-based industries in Nigeria.
Read more »
Abia Warriors’ job opportunity to groom quality goalkeepers for Nigeria, says Shorunmu | The Guardian Nigeria NewsAbia Warriors’ new goalkeepers’ trainer, Ike Shorunmu, has explained that he joined the Nigerian Premier Football League (NPFL) club because of his desire to raise quality goalkeepers for the country.
Read more »
Navy destroying MV Cecelia Imo vessel was hashty — Owners | The Guardian Nigeria NewsOwners of the Marine Vessel (MV) Cecelia Imo, recently destroyed by the Marine Component of the Military Joint Task Force of Operation Delta Safe (OPDS), have accused the Nigerian Navy of acting too hastily and maliciously.
Read more »
Witnesses make inconsistent statements at Nasarawa governorship tribunal | The Guardian Nigeria NewsAs the Governorship Election Petition Tribunal sitting in Lafia resumed hearing on the petition filed by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), conflicting testimonies saturated witnesses’ explanations.
Read more »
We're proud of you, sports minister tells Amusan, Brume, others | The Guardian Nigeria NewsSports Minister, Senator John Enoh, has encouraged Tobi Amusan, Ese Brume and other Nigerian athletes at the 2023 World Athletics Championship to hold their own and bounce back after failing to win medals at the ongoing World Athletics Championships in Budapest.
Read more »
Welcome to new Minister of Sports | The Guardian Nigeria NewsI am writing this on Friday morning. A new Minister of Sports for Nigeria has been in office for one week. The sports fraternity welcomes him to the beleaguered sector.
Read more »