Economic Interventions in Child Marriages

Economic Interventions and Child Marriages

Among many scholars, economists, non-governmental organizations, lawyers, the Nigerian government and the society as a whole there has always been this argument on whether economic interventions can be used to significantly reduce child marriages in Nigeria. There have been many interesting arguments for and against this food of thought and interestingly enough not even people in the same area agree on the matter. As my research will show, economic interventions can be used to significantly reduce child marriage in Nigeria. At the same time other interventions such as political, legal, social and legal methods can be applied to do the same thing. However the argument against the economic interventions is that they are insignificant and hold no water when dealing with a social problem such as child marriages. I have looked at and researched on both sides of the argument but before I can give a conclusion it is important to look first at the challenges, methods of economic interventions, studies done, benefits of economic interventions, arguments for and against this among many others significant factors regarding this with a sober mind.

 BACKGROUND

Who is a child? This might seem like a simple question but there is no one clear definition. For example according to the Merriam Webster dictionary it refers to a young person especially between infancy and youth and the age is not stated. The United Nation Children and Education Fund (UNICEF) basically defines a child under article one as a person below the age 18, unless the laws of a particular nation set the legal age to be lower than that which is currently the case in more than 50 countries worldwide (Sandstorm & Theodrorou, 2016). Some of the countries such as Australia allow marriages for as low as 16 year old with judicial approval and others such as Iraq, Jamaica and Iraq children can be married of or marry as long as the parents approve the same. In Syria the legal age for marriage for girls is set at 17 years. In Nigeria according to   the Children’s Right ACT, a child is anyone below the age of the majority which is 18 years (Children's Rights ACT, 2003). It is also important to note that the apart from the children’s ACT, the Nigeria constitution does not set a legal age for marriage. Another important thing to also note is the fact that the children’s ACT has only been significantly adopted in 23 out of the 36 states in Nigeria.  Due to the differences in culture, beliefs, religion among other things, different societies in Nigeria define a child and an adult differently especially in rural Nigeria. Instead of using the legal guidelines set they judge whether one is a child or an adult especially to girls on their physical appearance which might push the age lower based on the different physics.

Even though early marriages affect both boys and girls, it is the girls that are mostly affected. Every year a total of more than one and a half million girls  who are just starting their adolescent lives worldwide are married of. West Africa contributes the highest number to this sad statistics as it contributes approximately 735,000 children to this statistics which is about 49%.  In 2015, an estimated six million girls were married before attaining the age of 15 years. A total of 36 million girls were married by the age of 18 nationwide. Majority of this come from the Northwest and Northeast regions of Nigeria where by 78% of the girls get married or are married of before attaining the age of 18 years. Of the 78% of the girls that get married as a minors, a whopping 48% were actually below the age of 15 years (World Bank Group, 2016).

CAUSES OF EARLY MARRIAGES

Poverty: Based on data collected by the United Nation’s multi-Dimensional Poverty Index, Nigeria as a country has a national average rate of 46% (Okafor, 2017). The top three state with the least poverty index are Lagos, Osun and Anambra with 8.5%, 10.9%, and 11.2% respectively. The bottom 3 are Zamfara with 91.9% followed by Yobe which has 90.2% and Jigawa with 88.4%.With poverty girls are married of as the parents see them as a source of income through the dowry that is paid. Also some parents argue that it is for their own good when they get married of to richer families which would cater for them financially better than their parents. To add to that the dowry that is paid is also used by the siblings who could previous not afford to acquire marriage partners due to lack of dowries to pay for the same. On the same topic, some poor families might not be able to pay for the girl’s education or see the girl as an expense to them and early marriage as the only option of turning them to assets. Below is United Nation’s multi-Dimensional Poverty Index representation of the 36 states and their poverty index in terms of percentages. It is important to note that the poorest come from the Northwest and Northeast regions which also lead in terms of early marriages.

Poor Harvesting: As surprisingly as this seems it is a contributor to early marriages. With the increase in population there has been a decrease in agricultural land that is available for farming which leads to lack of food or low in terms of quantity. Traditionally this was a role played by the girl child thus some parents see no need of having the girl staying at home doing nothing in regard to that thus will encourage her to get married. Global warming has also contributed to this scenario in general. Another contributor to this phenomena is the increase in use of artificial plant nutrients which has greatly reduced the soil fertility in most places.

War:  A good example that was highlighted worldwide is the fight against Boko Haram when they kidnapped the Chibok school girls. When one of some of the underage girls escaped early this year, they were pregnant or had given birth. In times of conflict unlawfulness rules and in most cases the victims are children mostly girls. Some are even married of to appease the people in power so as to get protection or some form of financial gain. With the rise in global terrorism and separatist groups this has become a great challenge to Nigeria as a country.

Fear of sexual Promiscuity: It is generally considered that when a girl gets pregnant before marriage it will bring shame to the parents or reduce her chances of getting married. This is a religious, cultural and also social factor which some parents try to avoid by marrying their daughters of. Sadly however this might happen earlier than the legal age as the parents might judge not by age but by behavior or just appearance. This also affects boys as some religious groups might offer marriage as a solution to sexual promiscuity. To add to this the need for the girl to get married as a virgin for family pride or increased dowry has given rise to  early marriages.

Social and Peer Pressure: Children are easily influenced by their peers, thus when they see one of their friends do something they would want to try to do the same. Also the society in general will judge people who are not married unfairly for example they might think that the man is impotent or gay. Some apply to the lady. The biggest problem with this is that age is not necessarily considered in the equations.

Traditions: Many traditions have contributed to early marriages. For example girls have always been considered as assets which are supposed to be traded for dowry and some parents are too eager to realize their gains and will marry their daughter of as soon as possible. Also the traditional believe that you are not a man till you have a wife or not a woman till you are married have encouraged younger people to engage in early marriages.

Gender inequality: Traditionally, the man is the head of the house and has the final say in each matter without having to consult anyone in the family. This does not only apply to the matters of the house but to all the matters regarding the family and the society as a whole. Thus the decisions of the girl child and the children in general are made by the man and they are expected to comply by it without any questions. With this, the man decides at what age the boy or girl child will get married at to whom.

Believe that girls do not have alternatives: In some parts of Nigeria the only ending point or fulfillment of a girl’s life is marriage. From a young age the girls are taught this and they grow up with that as their only ambition (CARE, 2016). They do not see careers as an option but just grow up and then get married.

Lack of clear legislation: As stated earlier, the constitution of Nigeria on its own does not state the legal age for marriage. This gap over the years has given a loop hole for people to practice early marriages. The only hope against early marriages is the Children’s ACT 2013 which was made into law. However, only a handful of states implement it to the letter. There has also been very little civil education about the ACT in rural Nigeria where most early marriages occur.

EFFECTS OF EARLY MARRIAGES

Spread of HIV/AIDS and other socially transmitted diseases: This applies mostly apply to girls who engaged in early marriages. Most this girls are married off to or are forced to marry older men. This men have previously been sexually active and might carry all sorts of diseases which they might transmit to the girls thus infecting them. Also the girls lack knowledge especially on sexual matters which put them at a greater risk of contracting diseases. In addition to the sexually transmitted disease they also lack knowledge on pregnancy in general and family planning.

Increased illiteracy levels: When both boys and girls get married at a tender age, their attention is shifted else way and they get new responsibilities too. With that, they cannot continue with their education. Yes they are some who try to combine that too but its hard. By the time they realize the importance of education it is usually too late. Also without education they miss out on vital information which might help them grow in general such as in regards to human rights, gender equality, health and even importance of education. They might then marry their children early and continue making the illiteracy problem bigger.

Increased domestic Violence: In  boys, when the get married as teenagers, they are still immature and hormone levels are very high. Most do not know or are not mature enough to control their tempers and will use violence to solve problems. The same apply to girls only difference is that they are mostly on the receiving end. Most early marriages involving girls is usually to older men. The difference in age and lack or relationship experience or childlike behavior might end up upsetting the husband. In most cases the girl child married of will have no say in the marriage.

Increased Windows: This is closely related to the point above and apply mostly to the girls. Most of the time when they are married of when they are still under age is to old men. Most of the men will die way earlier than the wives leaving a widow or widows behind. Furthermore the average life expectancy age of women is higher than that of men, when you add a significant age difference between bride and groom to the equation it becomes a really big gap.

Increased Dependency levels: A 11-18 year old child in most cases does not have any source of steady income. Also when it comes to inheritance in the African setting it is the men who have the right. Thus when such a girl is married to a man, it means she will have to depend on the husband for everything. This level of dependency generally reduces Nigeria per capita income.

Health Risk: This is a significant consequence of early marriages especially to girls. When a girl is married at the tender age of 11 to 15years or even a little older than that, her biologically organs in general are not fully developed to manage things such as child birth. With this in mind she might experience a lot of complications during labor pain, when giving birth and even after doing so (Nour, 2006). Fistula is one of those complications that might arise as a result of prolonged labor pains. The sad part about such complications and early child marriages is that they mostly happen in rural Nigeria where they do not have a good access to descent medical facilities thus the problem might not be treated in time or even prevented. Actually studies show that infant mortality is rate 60% to mothers under 18 years as compared to those above (Omorodion, 2015).

General Decline in Economic growth: All the factors above such as decline in health, illiteracy, increased dependency level etc. lead to one thing slow economic growth.  Without economic growth, Nigeria cannot grow as country to fully realize it’s immense potential. Thus early marriages are a hindrance to economic growth in general.

ECONOMIC INTERVENTIONS TO CURB CHILD MARRIAGE IN NIGERIA

Financial Empowerment of Adolescents: As discussed earlier, most of the adolescents engage in early marriages especially girls due to poverty. One of the ways in which the Nigerian government can help them is financial. Financial can include giving them a token of appreciation for community work done or coming up with a similar program. This does not translate to handout as the government would spend more if they were to hire workers to do the same kind of work. It will be helping the community and at the same time helping the adolescents.

More Funds for Civic Education: As much as there is law against child marriages, most of the community especially in rural Nigeria have no idea that it exists or know very little about it. The national government of Nigeria together with the state governments should invest more in educating the citizens on the cons of this practice. As much as ignorance is not an excuse in a court of law preventing it is better than fighting it out in a court of law. With proper funding it can be taught in schools too and by other civic leaders.

Seek donor funding: Worldwide, there are a lot of non-governmental organizations such as CARE Africa and the United Nations Children Funds which are at the helm of the fight against early marriages. With proper government commitment and persuasion some of the funds can be attracted to fight the fight in Nigeria.

Conditional Cash Transfer Programs: Conditional cash transfer is a form of donation in which the government offers family cash incentives or transactional incentives only when certain conditions are met. For example giving aid to the poor families only if all of the children are in school. Another example is allowing sale of properties if some of the money will be used for education purposes or when the children are in school.

Fight Corruption: President Buhari once defined corruption as the greatest violation of human rights which is indeed very true. Any money lost through corruption is in fact denial of a service that could have been offered to the citizens. In other words any single dollar lost through corruption is money that could have helped better the lives of the people. By fighting corruption is like generating more money for the people. For example under the former government of president Goodluck Jonathan, Nigeria lost $32 billion dollars according to the united kingdom department for international development (Deolu, 2017).This money could have been used to greatly eradicate poverty in the country.

Economic Intervention to Poor Families: Most of the early marriages happen in poor families which cannot afford to take their kids to school or provide for them. The government should intervene financial by offering free food or subsidies food. It is not just in regard to food but the government can also helping in health, education among other things more affordable to them.

Fair Distribution of Resources: The leading cause of the rise in political tensions and to some extent all out violence is the feeling that some areas have been marginalized. For economic growth there must be peace and for peace to prevail justice must be done and also seem to be done. For this to happen, the Nigerian government must ensure that all areas of Nigeria gate a fair share of the national cake- fair distribution of resources and development agenda.

Subsidies to Farmers: As discussed earlier, the decrease in farm produce over the years due to factors such as lose of soil fertility, global warming and reduction in cultivatable land has led to increase in poverty in Nigeria. The government of Nigeria should try as much as possible to try and help the farmers to benefit from farming. The subsidies can be inform of farm inputs or even professional help. This will help eradicate poverty and thus help more girls stay in school instead of matrimony homes.

Investing more in Manufacturing Firms: The good thing about manufacturing firm is that they do not just employee the people working in the plant but also at least three others in the chain. This is from the producers of the raw materials, to those engaged in transit and to those in the retail and wholesale of the finished goods. By investing in manufacturing firms and plants, the government will create a lot of jobs thus raising the standard of living.

Self-employment Programs: Not everyone can work get work thus the need to encourage entrepreneurship and self-employment. The government can help people to be self employed by training them, offering a conducive business environment, subsidies such as tax cuts etc. This will in turn help many people earn a living which will improve the general welfare of the society. This should target the girl child mostly so as discourage early marriages for financial reasons.

Access to capital: Most people would love to engage in self-employment but the common reason why they do not do so is due to lack of capital. The government can help in this by offering credit services especially to women at a low interest rate, a flexible time payment period and advice on investment. If money of our girls know that they have a chance of getting capital to better their lives, they will be encouraged to go to school and would not hurry to get in marriages.

Invest in Safe Place for girls: A good example of safe havens for girls is the ones that are set in Kenya whereby girls who do not want to undergo female genital mutilation can go to. A safe place is simply a place where a person who is forced to undergo an injustice or something that is against their will and general well-being can go to and be protected  (Olson, 2015). In Nigeria we should invest in setting up such a place where girls and boys who do not want to be involved in early marriages can go and be protected while being educated at the same time.

School Feeding Programs:  A school feeding program is one whereby students who attend schools are given free meals. Most of the children who go to early marriages due to poverty or lack of food can therefore go to school to receive the same. In fact the parents might end up encouraging the kids to go to school as this will reduce their expenses.

DEMERITS OF ECONOMIC INTERVENTIONS

Mostly Social Benefit but no financial benefit: Most of the economic interventions to early childhood marriages such as investing in civic education, investing in safe places for girls, school feeding programs and financial intervention for the poor have only social benefit but no economic benefits. With this in mind the government might invest in some of them but reluctant in others as they offer no legacy or political benefit to them. Most would rather invest in other things such as infrastructure which they can used politically or even be remembered for as their legacy when they are not in power.

Religious, social and cultural factors not considered:  Economic intervention is one of the ways of solving the early marriage menace but it is not the only one. There are some deep underlying factors such as religious, social and cultural factors which can not be taken into account when offering economic solutions. One of the hardest thing to change is the beliefs of a person which are as a result of culture and religion. The social cultural solutions offered such as civic education by the economic interventions is just but a tip of the ice bag.

Hard to measure social benefit quantitatively: The other challenge that occurs when offering economic problems to religious, social and cultural problems is how to measure the benefits. How do you know that the civic education worked or the lessons taught in a life skills lesson will be applied? Sometimes people will come, agree with you and then go on to do the opposite.

Limited Resources: The most common demerit when it comes to any kind of economic intervention in any field is the fact that resources are limited. The government or any institution has a limited budget beyond which they cannot go any further. Thus same with the economic interventions to early marriages the resources will be limited. This will mean no economic intervention can be carried to its full potentials.

Depends on Good will of the people: at the end of the day, the most important element to solving the problem of early marriages is the people. If the people are willing to end it they can, if they are not willing they will frustrate any method aimed at solving the economic intervention methods that will be deployed. This might lead to frustration and eventually failure of the whole thing.

SUCCESS STORIES IN NIGERIA

ISA Wali Empowerment Initiative: This is one of the many success stories in Nigeria  which has come up with economic power empowerment programs to enhance the life of the girl child. Under this program the girls are taught how to make and sell products. The only condition is that they have to be in school. Thus the economic incentives in form of the money they get after selling the product is that they have to be in school which prevents them from engaging in early marriage.

RECOMMENDATIONS

Changing harmful cultural practices:  The belief that girls need to be married at an early age, teenage girls engage in promiscuity or that the education of the girl child is not important has to be changed. This mentality is a poison in the minds of the society which can only be changed through education. This should be done by sitting down with the community leaders and educating them on the importance of the education of the girl child. This help them to see that the education of both sexes is important which will not only benefit the family but also the society as a whole. It only through education that we can get rid of the myths and misconceptions regarding the subject.

Economic empowerment: The most common influencer of early marriages has been for economic benefit or poverty. To end poverty the poor have to be empowered especially in rural Nigeria which apart from being the poorest regions in the country also doubles up as the leaders in early marriages not only in Nigeria but also the world. Agriculture being their main source of income, the government should invest more in this particular industry.

Gender Equality: Generally the man in the society has more say compared to the woman in the Nigerian set up. With this kind of power, the man does not only make decision in regards to himself but also to the woman. The government and other policy makers should ensure that there is a state of equality between the two genders. The woman being a equal human being should have her say in matters especially those that concern her such choice of marriage partner and the time to do so.

Political Goodwill: The political leaders are the representatives of the people and have a great deal of influence on the people. With this kind of power, they should use it to influence policies that will help in curbing the menace of underage marriages. The laws which are already in places such the children’s ACT of 2003 should be implemented in all the states in Nigeria.

Community Programs: