EXPLORING THE PHYSICAL AND PSYCHOLOGICAL IMPACT OF CHILD MARRIAGE ON THE CHILD BRIDE

ABSTRACT

Child marriage remains a prevalent issue across the Middle East, Africa and Asia. In Africa, child marriage is predominant in Niger, Chad, Mali, Ethiopia, Central African Republic, Mozambique, Burkina faso, Malawi, Gambia and Nigeria. It is widespread in these areas due to various forces that seem to encourage the practice. These forces include poverty, illiteracy, culture, slackness on the part of the Government with regards to providing structures for the implementation of the rights of the girl child amongst others.

This paper mirrors on the issue of child marriage in Nigeria; it seeks to explore the physical and psychological impact of child marriage on the child bride and proffer possible solutions to this issue.

INTRODUCTION

Child marriage according to United Nations Children Fund (UNICEF), is defined as the marriage between a girl or boy before the age of 18 and refers to both formal marriages and informal unions in which children under the age of 18 live with a partner as if married. UNICEF posits that Nigeria has the third highest absolute number of child brides in the world (3,538,000) and the 11^th highest prevalence rate of child marriage globally. It is rather unfortunate that in spite of the Laws and policies made by the Nigerian government in a bid to curb the issue and protect the rights of the vulnerable child, child marriage continues to thrive in Nigeria.  In Nigeria (especially in the northern part of the country), a lot of young girls below 18 years are usually married off to older men due to various forces that promote child marriage in the region. 

CAUSES OF CHILD MARRIAGE IN NIGERIA

Various factors have been found to contribute to the persistence of child marriage in Nigeria. These factors include:

● Poverty: Poverty has remained a deadly scourge in Nigeria despite the widespread resources abundant in the Country. Based on recent reports by the Brookings institution, data from the World Poverty Clock reveal that Nigeria has over 87 million people living in poverty. Many indigent families in Nigeria have been forced to marry off their young daughters as a means of escaping the pangs of starvation and poverty.

● Culture: Child marriage is seemingly promoted in certain parts of Nigeria due to the cultural practices inherent in such areas. Currently, the Child Rights Act (CRA) in Nigeria has not been domesticated by all the states in the nation since it is contrary to the Islamic Law provisions (Shari’a law) which are practised within some states in Northern Nigeria. While the CRA pegs the minimum legal age for marriage at 18 years, Islam does not provide a specific age that marks the end of the childhood and the commencement of adulthood. Rather, once a child begins exhibit the signs of puberty, she is considered ripe for marriage. Hence, in such places, the girl child may be married off as early as 9-12 years.

●Illiteracy: The National Commission for Mass Literacy, Adult and Non- Formal Education in 2018 reported that more than 38% (about 70 million) of Nigerians have been described as illiterates. Illiteracy has encouraged the persistence of child marriage in Nigeria. Generally, lack of education promotes ignorance and the continued practice of certain harmful traditional practices. Education is generally accepted as a veritable tool required for the enlightenment of people. 

Gender Inequality: The girl child is seen as inferior to her male counterpart in some communities within Nigeria. Hence, she is usually not offered higher education; rather she is viewed as a good that may be exchanged in return for livestock and wealth under the institution of marriage.

THE PHYSICAL IMPACT OF CHILD MARRIAGE ON THE CHILD BRIDE

The girl child is not physically and psychologically ready for marriage and its obligations. Thus, child marriage may predispose the child bride to certain serious health related problems. These problems include:

● Risk of sexually transmitted infections: The girl is at an increased risk of contracting a sexually transmitted disease from her husband who usually has other sexual partners/ wives. Since she is usually naive and uniformed at the time she is married off, she may be unable to take certain precautions to prevent her from contracting any of the sexually transmitted diseases.

● Risk for cervical cancer: Cervical cancer is a life threatening disease that is caused by a virus called Human Papilloma Virus. It is a sexually transmitted infection which has early sexual contact as one of its risk factors. The child bride is put at a greater risk of contracting cervical cancer because her reproductive system is said to be more vulnerable to the virus.

● Perineal lacerations: Child marriage subjects the girl child to traumatic sexual experiences as her immature genitalia may be torn or lacerated during sex and delivery, thus predisposing her to contracting bacterial, fungal or viral infections.

 ● Complications of labour and delivery: The child bride is at an increased risk of facing any of the complications of labour and delivery. These complications range from prolonged labour and obstructed labour to pre- eclampsia. Other complications include eclampsia, perineal lacerations, post partum haemorrhage, maternal distress and foetal distress. Some of these complications may lead to maternal or foetal death if not expertly managed.

● Fistula formation: A prolonged and obstructed labour may lead to the formation of an obstetric fistula. An obstetric fistula is a small hole which is formed between the vagina and rectum, or bladder as a result of child birth. This type of fistula may result in urinary or faecal incontinence and subsequently, social isolation.

Ultimately, the child bride is at an increased risk of birthing a still born or premature baby and dying during child birth. Thus, child marriage could lead to an increased rate of maternal and infant mortality.

THE PSYCHOLOGICAL IMPACT OF CHILD MARRIAGE ON THE CHILD BRIDE

Child marriage affects the child bride both physically and psychologically. Child marriage exposes the girl child to psychological trauma as she is not allowed to enjoy her childhood, rather, while her mates go to school in the morning and play at the playground at noon, she is forced to sit at home, saddled with the task of child bearing and rearing. Psychological challenges that may arise due to child marriage include:

● Depression: The child bride may be forced to face societal stigmatization associated with obstetric fistula. Obstetric fistula usually causes faecal and urinary incontinence, and incontinence may be accompanied by a stench. This may result in societal isolation and divorce, as her husband may not be willing to endure the stench. Being a divorcee in some Nigerian communities is considered shameful, therefore, the child bride may be further stigmatized for being sent out of her matrimonial home. In such situations, the mental health of the girl child is most definitely compromised and she may become depressed. Depression, if not diagnosed early and promptly managed may result in suicide.

● Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD): PTSD is a psychological condition that may be caused/ triggered by experiencing traumatic events. PTSD related to child marriage may occur due to physical and verbal abuse in such marriages. The child bride may exhibit abnormal levels of anxiety, sleeplessness, lack of concentration and persistent, obtrusive thoughts and nightmares about the trauma experienced. Like depression, if PTSD is not diagnosed and treated early, it may lead to suicide.

POSSIBLE SOLUTIONS TO THE PROBLEM

● Create awareness: The importance of creating awareness about child marriage and its negative consequences cannot be overemphasized. Campaigns and programmes should be organized in areas where child marriage is practised to enlighten the people about its ills and promote gender equality.

● Poverty alleviation: Poverty alleviation schemes should be introduced to stamp out poverty. Education, skills acquisition programmes and women empowerment schemes may serve as means of alleviating poverty in Nigeria. When poverty is eradicated, poor families wouldn’t see child marriage as a means of ending poverty.

● Free education programme: Formal education is considered expensive within some rural communities in Nigeria. Marrying the girl child off is preferred to spending the family’s meagre income on educating her. Therefore, when education is subsidized or made free in these areas, the problem of child marriage may be solved to an extent.

● Provision of structures for the implementation of policies and laws that protect the child: The Child’s Rights Act of 2003 should be domesticated and implemented by all the 36 states in Nigeria. Also, all the international instruments which have been ratified by the Nigerian government in its bid to protect the rights of the child must be implemented by the appropriate authorities. The Nigerian government must show its commitment to the fight against child marriage by ensuring that every right of the Nigerian child as enshrined in the 1999 constitution is not violated.

In conclusion, child marriage is a form of violation of the rights of the girl child. I believe that it is a subtle form of violence against the Nigerian girl child as it abruptly cuts short her childhood even before she understands what it takes to be an adult. It further cages her, thus preventing her from acquiring an education in order to make informed choices, earn a living and relate intelligently with her counterparts all over the world. It terminates her dreams and aspirations and offers her a very bleak future. Governments, NGOs, public organizations, private organizations and individuals must be wholly committed to scrapping out this injustice against the girl child, not only in Nigeria, but also in other parts of the world where child marriage continues to bloom.