Nigeria’s next door neighbour, the Republic of Niger, occupies the number one slot in child marriage with many of the girls married at about 15 years of age. This they say is due to extreme poverty.
Niger Republic is followed in descending order byChad, Bangladesh, Central African Republic, Mozambique, Guinea, Mali, Burkino Faso and Malawi. This comparism is based on percentage of girls married off at 15 years of age. In Niger Republic, 35 percent of girls are married at the age of 15 years; the percentage for Malawi is 12.
Early marriage is high risk factor for maternal mortality, perinatal and neonatal deaths, vesico-vaginal fistula (VVF) , domestic violence, obstructed labour and divorce.
Child bride has been scaling down the prospect of girls, and the root cause of social ills.