Save the Children International (SCI) says the federal government should establish technical working groups in states to end child marriages.
The organisation made the call in its report titled “Budgeting to end child marriage” launched in Abuja on Friday by Uju Kennedy-Ohanenye, minister of women affairs.
According to the report, Nigeria is home to 23 million child brides, with two in every five women married as children.
Read Also: IPOB Warns Nigerian Govt To Stop Tagging Group As Terrorists
The report indicated that in northern Nigeria, 48 percent of women are married before age 15 while 78 percent are married before age 18.5.
“Child Marriages are both a cause and a consequence of adolescent pregnancy and is linked to maternal mortality, poor education, ongoing exposure to GBV, illiteracy and intergenerational poverty,” the report reads.
“This threat to girls’ rights and gender equality requires multisectoral solutions that engage health, education, justice and child protection sectors as well as girls and their communities.
”It is a challenge that demands an immediate and substantial government response, backed by sufficient and consistent budget allocations.”
The report said budgeting to end child marriage in Nigeria is fragmented, noting that there are no line-item budgets for ending child marriage.
“State and federal level budgeting for ending child marriage (ECM)-related sectors experience large fluctuations, rising in some years and falling in others,” the report said.
“Budget allocations to ECM-related sectors need to be increased and consistently maintained to match the growing number of girls affected by child marriage in Nigeria.
“Increased, consistent and targeted budgeting to end child marriage – a multisectoral costing framework for Nigeria’s National Strategy for ECM would provide critical support for this.
“The Nigerian Government should consider the establishment of technical working groups to end child marriage in all the States of Nigeria.
“This will improve coordination and create a strong system made up of relevant stakeholders who will come together to develop a common work plan and monitor implementation.
“Thus, provide an agency that will be held accountable, making sure the committee is active and holds regular meetings where reviews can be made.”
