A recent UNICEF-funded study has emphasized the significant adverse impact of Child Marriage on Nigeria’s economic and social landscape. The study authored by Xiangming Fang, a research associate professor at Georgia State University and published in the December edition of Child Abuse & Neglect, revealed that Nigeria loses $10 billion yearly due to child marriage. It also noted that preventing child Marriage could increase Nigeria’s GDP by about 2%. The report expands on a prior UNICEF survey that discovered that 42% of Nigerian girls and women, accounting for approximately 24 million, were married before turning 18.
The study, which quantifies the financial and human cost, is a call to action for addressing this widespread issue in the country. As per the study, the economic implications were evaluated through lost years resulting from illness, disability, or early death, as well as the detrimental effects on educational attainment and lower incomes. Child marriage results in a 23% decrease in the probability of completing secondary or higher education, a 12% decrease in earnings and productivity, and an annual cost of $2.5 billion. Health-related effects cost an additional $8.37 billion, including the deaths of 40,000 children under five from diseases like anemia and low birth weight, and 3,489 girls from pregnancy difficulties.
Social ramifications of child marriage is enormous.
According to the study, the number of years lost in Nigeria as a result of child marriage, as determined by disability-adjusted life years (DALYs), is more than four times that of Diabetes and is on par with the burdens of cardiovascular disease and HIV/AIDS. The results highlight the pressing need for all-encompassing measures to prevent such illegal practices, protect Nigerian youths’ health and education, and boost the country’s economic growth. In addition to financial strains, Child marriage also has enormous social ramifications.
Despite national laws that set the legal marriage age at 18, enforcement remains lax, particularly in rural areas where local customs are highly prioritized. The high rate of child marriage in Nigeria, which violates the rights of millions of girls and impedes the nation’s progress, has long attracted the attention of international organizations, who highly condemn the practice. Reports from Save the Children, Human Rights Watch, and UNICEF over the years highlight the scope of the issue and provide solutions to counteract its widespread impacts on society.
Social and economic growth in the country is impacted.
UNICEF highlights the negative effects of such illegal practices in their report, Ending Child Marriage: Progress and Prospects. Early marriage increases a girl’s risk of dropping out of school, getting pregnant too young, and becoming stuck in a cycle of poverty. The report also emphasizes how such illegal practices limits girls’ contributions to Nigeria’s social and Economic Growth and promotes gender inequality by denying them opportunities. Human Rights Watch has also reported on the violations that are linked to such illegal practices in Nigeria. According to its findings, young girls who get married frequently face social isolation, limited mobility, and exposure to domestic violence.
It urged the Nigerian government to resolve inconsistencies between federal and state laws that permit customary practices to supersede national Legislation and to strengthen enforcement of the Child Rights Act, which establishes 18 as the lawful marriage age. Another international organization, Save the Children, has concentrated on the financial aspects of child marriage, relating child labor and economic stagnation in general to early marriage. It’s report pointed out that such illegal practices lowers women’s lifelong earning potential by keeping girls out of school, which in turn lowers Nigeria’s overall productivity.
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Save the Children advocates for more funding for girls’ Education in order to end such illegal practices and the cycle of poverty. Other institutions, such as the African Union and the United Nations have also encouraged Nigeria to act more proactive. These groups have advocated for more robust legal framework, community involvement initiatives, and awareness campaigns in line with Sustainable Development Goal 5.3, which seeks to end child marriage by 2030. A comprehensive strategy that tackles the underlying causes of such illegal practices, defends the rights of girls, and provides them with economic and educational possibilities is required if Nigeria is to fulfill its international obligations.