30.3% of girls in Nigeria are married before their 18th birthday and 12.3%are married before the age of 15.

Child marriage is most common in the North West and North East of Nigeria, where 52% and 51.1% of women aged 20-24 were married before their 18th birthday.

Legal framework

There are several different laws related to the minimum legal age of marriage in Nigeria.

Under the Marriage Act 1990 the minimum legal age of marriage 21 years for girls and boys, although they are able to marry before this with written consent from a parent or guardian. Under the Child Rights Act 2003, the minimum legal age of marriage is 18 years. However, out of 36 Nigerian States, there were still 12 (11 of which are located in the north of the country) that have not included the Child's Rights Act 2003 in their internal legislation. It follows that in those States local laws are applied, most of which are Islamic Law provisions, and the minimum age of marriage in some of those States is as low as 12 years.

Child marriage and health

Child marriage is internationally recognised in law as a form of gender-based violence. Both are human rights violations. Child marriage puts girls and women at increased risk of sexual, physical, and psychological violence and related outcomes throughout their lives.

Gender-based violence – including child marriage – is also associated with poor sexual and reproductive health outcomes such as HIV infection, unintended pregnancy, unsafe abortion, poor mental health, depression and loss of life by femicide or suicide. It can also lead to lower educational attainment and fewer economic and employment opportunities.

HIV The risk of young married girls acquiring HIV can increase because:

• They are exposed to frequent unprotected sexual activity, often because of pressure to prove their fertility.
• They have older and more sexually experienced husbands.
• They have limited power to negotiate safe sex or to access sexual and reproductive health services, including contraception and HIV testing.
• They are more likely to experience intimate partner violence, which is a risk factor for HIV infection.

ILERA works with communities to end child marriage and support young women and girls to access reproductive health