Girl-child: Need for early education, not marriage

Just recently, the world marked the International Day of the Girl Child with a call on countries to ensure that the rights of the girl-child are guaranteed rather than being used as a baby-making machine. SUNNY IDACHABA in this report revisits what the federal government and other stakeholders said on that day.

As a result of early marriages prevalent in some communities, most girl-children are endangered species, especially in sub-Saharan Africa. This is according to the United Nations International Children Emergency Fund (UNICEF).

A fortnight ago, Nigeria joined the rest of the world to mark the 2026 International Day of the Girl Child on the theme, ‘End Child Marriage; Invest in Girls’ Rights.’ The theme was carefully selected in view of the precarious situation young girls find themselves across the world.

To mark the Day, the federal government and stakeholders in girl-child affairs converged to offer solutions to the problems confronting those categories of children, but that was after decrying the dehumanising state they find themselves in the hands of male adults.

The chairman, League of Online Publishers and Editors (LOPE), Favour Benson, while speaking on the theme of this year’s anniversary, noted that governments, media organisations, parents, and community leaders “need to intensify efforts to protect girls’ rights by ending child marriage in order to create opportunities for every girl to fulfil their life-long dreams.”

This, she added, is with the intention of protecting girls from harmful practices and ensuring that access to education, healthcare and other opportunities are not limited.

“It is believed that more than 12 million girls are married before reaching adulthood annually, with sub-Saharan Africa recording a particularly high prevalence of child marriage.

“Child marriage exposes girls to several risks, including disrupted education, health complications, violence, social isolation and emotional distress. It also limits their ability to make informed decisions about their bodies, education and future,” she noted.

Protecting the rights of girls, she said, must go beyond annual celebrations and public statements as it requires sustained commitment, effective policies and deliberate investments in girls’ education, safety and empowerment.

She, therefore, urged media practitioners to use their platforms to raise awareness about child marriage, report cases of abuse responsibly, promote girls’ education and amplify the voices of girls whose experiences are often overlooked.

She also called on governments and policy makers to strengthen laws against child marriage, improve access to education and healthcare, expand child-protection services and ensure the effective implementation of existing legal safeguards.

Despite the scale of challenge confronting the girl-child in many communities, Benson noted that progress is possible through sustained collective action. According to her, investments in girls’ education, legal reforms and social protection are important measures that could prevent child marriage.

“The future is stronger when every girl is safe, educated, empowered and free to fulfil her potential,” she noted.

In the same vein, the National Council of Women’s Societies (NCWS) called for urgent government’s action to end child marriage in every part of the country.

The Society warned that millions of girls have continued to face early pregnancies, health complications, leading to disrupted education and limited economic opportunities.

The Council urged governments at all levels to enforce the minimum marriage age of 18 for girls, strengthen child protection systems and support vulnerable families.

Its national president, Princess Edna D. Azura, said the campaign is not intended to blame families, regions or faiths, but to ensure that every child enjoys the protection guaranteed by law.

According to her, “A girl’s childhood is not ours to give away.”

Health Ministry’s charge

In a related development, the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, in collaboration with development partners, called for increased investment in adolescent health, improved access to youth-friendly healthcare services and the inclusion of young people in decisions affecting their health and well-being.

The director of health promotion in the Ministry, John Urakpa, who spoke on behalf of the permanent secretary, Kachollom Shangti Daju, said adolescents must be recognised as active stakeholders in the design and implementation of health programmes rather than passive beneficiaries.

He said the country’s youthful population made investment in adolescent health essential to reducing maternal mortality and achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030.

According to him, adolescents and young people play a critical role in achieving the country’s demographic dividend, stressing the need to address their health challenges through policies and programmes that reflect their needs and experiences.

He said the Ministry, working with partners, has invested in strengthening the capacity of healthcare providers to deliver adolescent-friendly services.

“These efforts are designed to ensure that adolescents receive care that is respectful, confidential and responsive to their unique needs,” he said.

Urakpa, therefore, called on stakeholders to translate the theme of the 2026 celebration into concrete action by expanding adolescent-friendly services nationwide, improving access to reliable health information, promoting mental, and physical well-being, confronting harmful practices and removing barriers to healthcare.

He further urged stakeholders to ensure that no adolescent was excluded from essential health services and support systems.

This is coming just as the federal government also called for greater involvement of adolescents in the formulation, implementation and evaluation of policies and programmes affecting their health, education, safety and overall development.

The coordinating minister of health and social welfare, Prof. Muhammad Ali Pate, made the call at an event to mark the 2026 International Adolescent Week. He was represented by the director of hospital services in the Ministry, Bisola Adegoke.

The minister said adolescents should not be treated merely as beneficiaries of health interventions but recognised as active partners whose experiences, perspectives and priorities must shape policies and services designed for them.

He described adolescence as a “critical stage of life” characterised by significant physical, emotional, social and psychological changes, noting that the support young people receive during this period can influence their health and well-being throughout their lives.

Pate said investing in adolescent health and development was both a public health priority and a strategic investment in Nigeria’s human capital and productivity, given the significant proportion of the country’s population represented by young people.

He noted that Nigeria could miss its 2030 target for ending child marriage without stronger enforcement of existing laws, adequate funding and sustained community engagement.

While citing UNICEF figures, the NCWS said more than 24 million Nigerian women and girls alive today were married before their 18th birthday, as it placed Nigeria among the countries with the highest numbers of child brides worldwide.

It equally made reference to figures from the 2023–2024 Nigeria Demographic and Health Survey made available by UNICEF in 2025 which indicated that 33.4 per cent of women aged 20–24 were married before age 18. It said the prevalence is reportedly close to 50 per cent in the North-east and North-west.

NCWS identified poverty, inadequate access to essential services and weak child protection mechanisms as factors contributing to early marriage.

NCWS’ warning, WHO’s revelations

Concerned by the plight of under-aged girls forced into early marriage, the Council warned that child marriage can expose them to serious health risks, including complications associated with adolescent pregnancy and childbirth.

This is just as the World Health Organization identified increased risks of conditions like serious infections among adolescent mothers with their babies facing higher risks of premature birth and low birth weight.

It highlighted obstetric fistula, a childbirth injury that can cause long-term medical complications, stigma and social isolation.

Rather than early marriage, NCWS called for increased investment in girls’ education and support for families facing economic hardship as it argued that keeping girls in school can help to reduce the pressures that contribute to early marriages.

Although the Child Rights Act has been adopted by all the 36 states, its implementation and enforcement still remains a major challenge.

It, therefore, urged authorities to train prosecutors, judges on child protection laws while also calling on the National Assembly to review Section 29(4) (b) of the Constitution where it contains a provision deeming a married woman to be of full age before marriage in order to avoid child abuse.