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The Kalthum Foundation for Peace has called for urgent action to end child marriage in Northern Nigeria and across the Sahel, warning that poverty, insecurity and displacement continue to deprive thousands of girls of their education, rights and future opportunities.
The foundation’s chief executive officer, Ummu Kalthum Muhammad Rabiu, made the call Tuesday in Gombe to mark the 2026 International Day of the Girl Child.
He stated that child marriage should not be excused as a cultural practice when it exposes girls to lifelong disadvantages.
Ms Rabiu said the growing vulnerability of girls in conflict-affected communities requires governments, traditional and religious leaders, and development partners to treat the issue as both a human rights concern and a threat to long-term peace and security.
“Girl child marriage is not just a girls’ issue. It is a security issue. It is a human development issue. It is a peace issue,” she said.
Drawing on her experiences in internally displaced persons’ camps in Monguno, host communities in Bama and schools in Chibok, Borno state, Ms Rabiu said girls were often the first to suffer when conflict, poverty and environmental challenges disrupted family life.
She added that when insurgency, banditry and kidnapping force schools to close, girls are frequently withdrawn from education. In households struggling with hunger and displacement, some parents resort to marrying off their daughters in an attempt to ease their financial burdens.
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