Legality of Child Marriage in Nigeria and Inhibitions against Realisation of Education Rights

This article considers the social and legal factors that support the continuation of child marriage in Nigeria and highlights how education can be an effective tool in tackling child marriage. Child marriage – specifically, the betrothal of girls younger than 18 years old – is common for many communities in Nigeria and is encouraged by Islamic religious norms. Child marriage has yet to be challenged in Nigeria because of two loophole provisions in the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, which have been used to ‘deem’ girls as adults through marriage and to encourage tolerance of the religious practice. Education is a strong indicator whether or not a girl will marry as a child in Nigeria, as nearly all married girls are out of school. Governments and communities are encouraged to support girls in school beyond the secondary level to increase health, literacy, and development benefits while decreasing the prevalence of child marriage.