Despite the prevalence of child marriage among the Hausa-Fulanis, child marriage is illegal in Nigeria. As a step towards showing that it does not support child marriage, Nigeria has signed and ratified international and regional instruments which regulate the rights of children.
What is the legal age of marriage in Nigeria?
Under the 1990 Marriage Act, 21 years is the legal age of marriage, but girls and boys may marry before this age with written consent [from a guardian or parent] (Nigeria 1990a, Art.
Does Nigeria child marriage?
More than a third of girls in Nigeria end up in child marriages, and with 22 million married before the age of 18, the nation has among the highest number of child brides in Africa, according to a 2018 UNICEF report.
What is Nigerian child marriage?
Defined as marriage before the age of 18 , child marriage is a problem with multifaceted dimensions and consequences. In Nigeria, an estimated 44% of girls in Nigeria are married before their 18th birthday and the country, also, records the 11th highest rate of child marriage (UNICEF 2013).
Who is a child under the Nigerian law?
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.
Can a 12 year old get married in the US?
This is a fact! While 18 is the minimum marriage age in most states, there are exceptions in every state that allow children younger than 18 to marry, typically with parental consent or judicial approval.
Can a man marry two wives legally in Nigeria?
Marrying multiple wives is a lot less common among educated people in Nigeria but polygamy still happens in rural areas, especially in the Muslim north. It is legal. Though the official marriage registry only allows for one wife, it also has a clause that allows for marriage under “customary” law.
Which country has the lowest marriage age?
Estonia now has the lowest marriage age in Europe with teenagers able to get hitched at 15 with parental approval. Globally, the average legal age of marriage for boys is 17 and 16 for girls but many countries permit them, particularly girls, to marry much younger.
Where is child marriage most common?
Child marriage among girls is most common in South Asia and sub-Saharan Africa, and the 10 countries with the highest rates are found in these two regions. Niger has the highest overall prevalence of child marriage in the world.
What is child marriage in Africa?
Child marriage is a human rights violation taking place on a vast scale in West and Central Africa which disproportionately affect girls. Girls who marry young often drop out of school and face physical risks, especially during pregnancy.
How many child brides are there in Nigeria?
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 religions practice child marriage?
Religion is often blamed for the prevalence of child marriage. Notably, however, the practice is not unique to any one faith; in fact, it occurs across religions and regions. For example, in India, where 40 percent of the world’s known child brides reside, child marriage is prevalent among both Muslims and Hindus.
What are the problems of child marriage?
Child marriage negatively affects the Indian economy and can lead to an intergenerational cycle of poverty. Girls and boys married as children more likely lack the skills, knowledge and job prospects needed to lift their families out of poverty and contribute to their country’s social and economic growth.
Can a child own property in Nigeria?
Although the Constitution seems to confer the right to own property on every Nigerian, the Land Use Act, in its Section 7, particularly paragraph (a) disqualifies any person under the age of “twenty one” from owning property except through a guardian or trustee.
Is 17 years old still a child?
The answer to this question in international and domestic law is clear: a child is anyone under the age of 18. But it took a legal challenge and a national campaign to ensure that 17-year-olds were given the same rights as other children in the police station.
At what age can a father get custody of his child in Nigeria?
Generally most customary law systems in Nigeria, will grant absolute right of custody to the father of a legitimate child, especially if the child is above five years old.