Ujiro Igbudu & Enabulele Bawa Hiqmat

Dept of Health, Safety and Environmental, Faculty of Education,

University of Benin, Benin City, Edo State

Abstract

The paper examined the challenges posed by early child marriage in the Nigerian Constitution, and human right law. The article then focuses on the health risks involved in early pregnancies and, specifically, the fate of young women who are affected by Vesico-Vaginal Fistula (VVF).

Early child marriage still poses a problem in most part of Nigeria, as in many other countries in African and beyond. It is practiced and justified in the name of tradition, culture, and religion. Especially vulnerable are young girls in rural, poor and deprived communities. This situation reflects the relatively strong adherence to tradition, and the relative lack of opportunities, affecting women in rural areas.  In South South Nigeria in general, and among the Ibibios in particular, early child marriage dates back to the formation of the society itself. In this part of Nigeria, it is uncommon for girls below the age of thirteen to get married, but this is no longer very widespread. The National Baseline Survey of Positive and Harmful Traditional Practices affecting Women and Girls in Nigeria (2003) reveals that the aggregate mean age at marriage for female children is 16.7 years. In the north-east, the age is 15.2 years and in the north-west, 14. 2years.This is an indicator of the prevalence of early child marriage. Early child marriage is a form of exploitation that endangers girls and violates the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child. It places young girls in an environment that exposes them to physical and mental danger and leaves little protection from sexual abuse. This practice often occurs in socially conservative societies that discourage women and children from challenging the will of older men. As a result, child brides are left in compromising situations in which they are unable to negotiate safe sex behaviors leading to an increase risk of sexual violence and sexually transmitted infections (STI) transmission. They are also removed from their protective social and family networks, placing them at even greater risk for experiencing sexual abuse. .In some countries in Africa it is customary for early child marriages involving young adolescent girls to be contracted prior to the commencement of their menses. This practice often results in premature pregnancies which in turn lead to devastating physical and social consequences such as Vesico Vaginal Fistula (VVF).

Keywords: Early marriage, Challenges