Marriage as a redeeming feature for vulnerable girls

By Faith Oritogun & Halimah Titilope Bello As is common with many issues of public discourse in Nigeria, the conversation around the controversial marriage of the Niger State 100 orphan girls appears to have faded out. We dwell well on societal amnesia and indifference. This cycle just spurned around and birthed another dark cloud of […]

By Faith Oritogun & Halimah Titilope Bello

As is common with many issues of public discourse in Nigeria, the conversation around the controversial marriage of the Niger State 100 orphan girls appears to have faded out. We dwell well on societal amnesia and indifference. This cycle just spurned around and birthed another dark cloud of 105 orphan girls being married off. The next time the circus was out, it was conducted and sponsored by a lawmaker, Abdulmalik Zubairu representing Maru/Bungudu Federal Constituency in Zamfara State in July 2024. The marked difference this time was the preparation was done discretely out of the ears of the media until the young girls and lads had their nuptials tied.

We are to wait for another set of helpless girls, children of the poor, or widows being handed out by some “benevolent” public officeholders before we witness a public outrage, that will also be forgotten very quickly. The under-reported mass wedding of 100 orphaned girls in Niger State and 105 others in Zamfara State Nigeria is not a new phenomenon.

The earlier announcement of a plan to marry off 100 orphan girls in Niger State Nigeria though attracting outrage is not a new phenomenon. Child marriage is one of the many challenges girls in Nigeria are confronted with. In Nigeria, girls and young women face substantial barriers that impede their achieving their dreams or reaching their full potential.

Child marriage is just one of the many challenges that girls in Nigeria face, and allowing this incident to become one of the many of such that become an instant mainstream conversation that disappear as soon as they appear is as much a disservice to the Nigerian girls as much as it is a risk to the future of the Nigeria national development.

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Despite national laws prohibiting forced or arranged marriages, these practices remain a common phenomenon in Nigeria, especially among rural communities in several states in the country, where religious and cultural norms favour the practice. The equally unacceptable practice of organising mass marriage for girls as a mark of favour by public officials and political office holders is mainly targeted at poor and vulnerable girls, signposting the value such officials place on the girls.

For instance, the use of motorcycles for commercial transportation was largely alien to Nigeria until politicians began to procure them in mass for young people. The reason advanced appeared to be super nice—cutting down unemployment and reducing crime. Motorcycles have proved to be more nuisance than their use; from maiming their riders and passengers to becoming a tool for violent kidnappers. Unemployment is at an all-time high and regrettably inflation of 34.2 percent.

Girls and young women in Nigeria encounter significant obstacles that hinder them from achieving their dreams or reaching their full potential.

These barriers are deeply rooted in discriminatory practices, cultural norms, and systemic inequalities. These significantly hinder their access to education, healthcare, livelihood opportunities, and access to decision-making spaces. Apart from preventing them from reaching their full potential, the discrimination they suffer also serves as an obstacle to their contribution towards societal development. These practices are entrenched in cultural practices, and social norms and in some instances sustained by institutional practices that are insensitive to the rights of the girl child. One example might suffice here: in education, cultural preferences often prioritise educating boys over girls. The widespread economic hardships and shrinking opportunities in the country have left families struggling to choose between educating their children and simply surviving, and usually, this is likely to be at the expense of girls.

Access to healthcare presents another critical challenge for Nigerian girls and women, particularly in rural and remote communities where healthcare facilities and services are limited. This lack of access is especially detrimental during pregnancy and childbirth, contributing to the country’s high maternal mortality rate. Additionally, cultural taboos and insufficient reproductive health education lead to early and unintended pregnancies, affecting girls’ health and curtailing their educational and economic opportunities. Decision-making capacity is also restricted by societal norms that favour patriarchal structures, which socialise girls from a young age to defer to male authority figures, thus limiting their autonomy in critical aspects of their lives.

Girls from marginalised communities, including those living in poor, rural areas, or conflict-affected zones, face even more severe challenges. Poverty exacerbates their lack of access to education and healthcare, among other basic amenities, often leading to child labour or early marriage as survival strategies.

The overall prevalence of child marriage in Africa is higher than the global average and if current trends continue, Africa will become the region with the largest number and global share of child marriages by 2050. Although child marriage is prevalent across Africa, prevalence is greatest in West and Central Africa where according to a UNICEF report. It is estimated that four out of 10 women aged 20 to 24 were married before age 18. In Nigeria, as reported by Girls Not Bride, a global partnership to end child marriage, 30.3 % of girls in Nigeria are married before their 18th birthday and 12.3 % are married before the age of 15.
This practice is usually pronounced in less developed countries, conflict-affected regions and humanitarian settings.
This situation stifles their ability to speak up and make decisions on issues that directly affect them. Those in conflict zones experience severe disruptions to their lives and education, increased risk of violence, and instability due to displacement.

The above scenarios are the current living situation of the 105 orphaned girls in Zamfara who have been said to be “empowered” with husbands and the sum of 100,000 Naira each to start a business of their choice in these skyrocketing prices and stagnant wages economy. The same applies to the 100 orphaned girls in Niger state, many of whom have been married off despite outcry from the public.

The notion of using marriage as a means of empowerment for these orphaned girls is fundamentally flawed. Although there is currently no verifiable evidence that they have reached the country’s statutory age of marriage, the level of their vulnerability, heightened by their status as orphans due to banditry in their states is a major cause for concern and constitutes a violation of their human rights.

Every girl is entitled to basic human rights. Girls have the right to bodily integrity, security, and freedom from torture and cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment. These rights are enshrined in all the international conventions and protocols Nigeria is a signatory to and in many cases ratified.

In line with the previously mentioned challenges, Nigeria follows a dualist approach to the application of international law, which is common in many common-law countries. As a result, treaties concluded between Nigeria and other international entities do not automatically become Nigerian laws without legislative action. Thus, they must be specifically enacted into law by the National Assembly before they can have the force of the law.

However, the National Assembly has not shown sufficient commitment in carrying out its constitutional role of transforming treaties into domestic laws. This has not only resulted in the poor implementation of treaties in Nigeria but has also stripped the Nigerian legal system of the requisites support and complementarity it ought to derive from those ratified but undomesticated treaties.
Women’s rights are fundamental human rights enshrined by the United Nations for every human being on the planet.

Society’s response to victims of insecurity and other forms of vulnerability shouldn’t be marriage, rather resources should be directed towards providing vulnerable girls and women with access to education, healthcare, and livelihood opportunities thereby supporting them to take charge of their future.

While there have been legal and policy reforms meant to influence child rights and gender equality in Nigeria as seen with the Child Rights Act and, the national policy on gender in basic education and the gender policy, there is a further need for legal reforms to shape awareness and practices due to existing gaps in policies and implementation. Ensuring that the Nigerian and International laws which the country is a signatory to, are upheld is crucial to protecting the rights and well-being of girls and young women, in this case, the 205 orphan girls in Niger and Zamfara states. The enforcement of these laws is not only a legal obligation but also a moral imperative. Failure to comply with these laws not only undermines the legal system but also places the girls at risk of harm and exploitation.

Every girl deserves the chance to soar; that is why no one should stand by and accept this harsh reality but aim for a brighter future for girls.

The repercussion of these practices extends to alarming levels of domestic violence, partner battery, sexual assault, and abuse, disproportionately affecting girls and young women as primary burden bearers.

In conclusion, every girl has the right to education and the freedom to choose her future. Forced marriage is a violation of that right and must be stopped. Education is the best form of empowerment and hence it should be prioritised.

It is appropriate, morally right, and justifiable for social structures and institutions to embody the foundational principles of human rights and recognise the inherent equality of all individuals.

This is a call to policymakers, who bear constitutional responsibilities, to align with and champion the cause of girls and young women by formulating and reforming policies and legislative acts that protect and empower them.

Governments and authorities must take a strong stance against child marriage and ensure that all children are protected under the law.

The government should invest in education programmes that provide girls with the knowledge and necessary skills for their future.

Providing girls with financial literacy skills, mentorship, and entrepreneurship opportunities ensures sustainable livelihoods for girls. Investing in the empowerment of girls and young women has been shown to lead to significant economic and social benefits. When girls are empowered, they become agents of change, contributing to poverty reduction, improved health outcomes, and a stronger community.

Thus, empowering girls to learn, lead decide, and thrive is a necessity to bridge the gender inequality gap and ensure that all girls reach their full potential irrespective of their background, social status, and religious orientation.

Faith Oritogun & Halimah Titilope Bello are girls’ rights campaigners at Plan International Nigeria. They wrote from Abuja