The Impacts of Early Marriage in Girl Child Education

 The Impacts of Early Marriage in Girl Child Education

Right from the beginning of ages, the effect of early marriage on the academic performance of girl- child  in Nigeria has been a topic for debate. In 2004, Children’s national Day, the UNICEF in collaboration with the Ministry of Education in Nigeria, had a presentation of statistical result of schooling children to non-schooling children in the contemporary society.


 the research presentation shows that over 7.2 million Nigerian children are out of school as they engaged themselves in hawking, as maid to people or otherwise. Meanwhile, from the above result, 87% of these children found outside school were girls.

In a press briefing organized by the Chairman of National Orientation Agency, Dr. Chukwuemeka Chukwudi the major reasons why more girl child are found outside school was because female children are given out on marriage at an early age range.

Research has revealed that a vast majority of girl child marriages are arranged by families, the parents. In most cases, the spouses of these child brides are older men, an average of 12 years older than the girls. The young brides whose reproductive organs are not yet matured would most likely be forced into having s-xual intercourse with the much older husbands, these has severe negative health consequences and implication as they are not physically, psychologically, and s-xually matured and prepared for marriage.

Prior to the 2003 Child Rights Act, the Nigerian Child protection was defined by the Children and Young People Act (CYPA), a law relating primarily to Juvenile Justice. Originally passed by the British Colonial government in 1943, the CYPA was later revised and incorporated into Nigeria federal laws in 1958. However, its legal provisions fell short of the rights afforded by the African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child (ACRWC), the United Nations Convention of the Rights of the Child (CRC) and the United Nations Standard Minimum Rules for the Administration of Juvenile Justice.

Girls married before the age of 18 have low educational attainment; their childhood is cut short as they are presented with the responsibilities of being a wife and mother. Child birth for these young girls becomes a very difficult task and a risk to their life because their reproductive organs are not fully developed to withstand such rigour. In most cases, the girls experience obstructed labor due to their small pelvic size which results to Vesico-Vaginal Fistula (VVF). The leakage of urine and faces through the vagina which could lead to death, in some case some the girl is forsaken by the husband, left alone to face her predicament and fend for herself and the baby.

One challenge of Girl-Childin Marriage in Nigeria as it were is the need for education and enlightenment programme to be encouraged in order to put an end to child marriage. The rural dwellers and illiterates are most hit and there is a need for consistent and concerted awareness programme targeted at this vulnerable group in order to educate them and to disabuse their minds with regards to the girl child marriage and must be enlightened on the consequences and health hazards associated with early marriage. This could be done in collaboration with religious, women, community leaders and other relevant Civil Liberty Organizations and NGOs.

Our checks showed that at the Fourth World Conference on Women held in Beijing, China some years ago, it was acknowledged that discrimination in girls access to education persists in many areas, owing to customary attitudes, early marriages and pregnancies, inadequate and gender-based teaching and educational materials, s-xual harassment and lack of adequate and physically and otherwise inaccessible schooling facilities.