Child marriage remains a pervasive issue in Niger, with one in four women aged 25-29 having been married before the age of 15.
Despite this, the median age at first marriage has seen a slight increase from 15.8 to 16.6 years, partly due to campaigns and policies aimed at reducing child marriage and delaying pregnancies . The Adolescent Girls’ Initiative and the National Strategic Plan to End Child Marriage are crucial components of this effort.
A major issue is violence against women and girls. Gender-based violence remains pervasive in Niger State, with women and girls disproportionately affected by various forms of abuse, including domestic violence, sexual assault, and harmful traditional practices such as female genital mutilation and forced marriage.
Several young girls are being married off, making these narratives to reveal a pattern of coercion, not being mindful of the significant emotional and physical toll on the girls involved. Most centres for Vesico Virginal Fistula are full of young under aged girls contributing to maternal mortality in the country.
Our social network needs to be strengthened to reduce these forms of vulnerability. The country should overhaul and review its so-called social register for the vulnerable and prioritise conflict zones for support. Government accountability, failure and consequences on the life of women and girls : Beyond the court cases, the Niger situation is a reflection of the negotiations taking place in most places where there are insurgency, banditry, herders and farmers attack and other negative vices. Government cannot continue to look the other way, when women and girls become collateral damage for offences caused by state inability to protect or fulfill the expectation as expressed by the constitution and international norms.
Niger State Orphan Marriage Saga World Bank
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