Does Nigeria allow child marriage?
The federal Child Rights Act adopted in Nigerian law bans child marriage as required under the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child and the African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child.
What is the approved age for marriage in Nigeria?
The Nigerian Child Rights Act of 2003 set the minimum age of marriage at 18 years of age, but as of March 2013, only 23 of Nigeria’s 36 states have adopted the Act.
What are the causes of child marriage in Nigeria?
Reasons for child marriage in Nigeria include poverty; gender inequity; traditions and customs; weak legislative and institutional structures; and conflict and political instability. Child marriage has been found to have negative impacts on the children’s education, health, as well as on their dignity and integrity.
Is Forced marriage legal in Nigeria?
In Nigeria, Section 13 of the Violence Against Persons (Prohibition) Act 2015 (VAPP Act), clearly criminalises and declares forced marriage as a harmful traditional practice which is unlawful.
What does the Nigerian Constitution say about child marriage?
The Child Rights Act, which was passed in 2003, sets the age of marriage at 18 years-old. However, only 23 of Nigeria’s 36 states have adopted this act. As a result, in some areas of the country the minimum age of marriage can be as low as 12 years-old.
How many child brides are in Nigeria?
22 million child brides
As the most populous country in the region, Nigeria has the highest number of child brides. An estimated 22 million child brides live in Nigeria, which accounts for 40 percent of all child brides in the region. Niger, which has the highest prevalence in the world, has 4.1 million child brides.
What are the main causes of child marriage?
Gender inequality, social norms, perceived low status of girls, poverty, lack of education, safety concerns about girl children and control over sexuality are considered to be reasons for prevalence of child marriages.
How many child brides are there in Nigeria?
Who is a child according to Nigerian constitution?
31. The National Child Welfare Policy of 1989 defines a child as anybody who is 12 years or below. However, a draft decree put into law has now set the age of the child in Nigeria as 18 years or below.
What is the law against child marriage?
—Whoever performs, conducts, directs or abets any child marriage shall be punishable with rigorous imprisonment which may extend to two years and shall be liable to fine which may extend to one lakh rupees unless he proves that he had reasons to believe that the marriage was not a child marriage. 11.
What religion has the most child marriages?
But when it comes to the urban areas, Buddhists have the highest proportion of child brides among all the religions (5.38%).