Ending Child Marriage: Key Strategies and Insights

At the Technical Inception Workshop of the Future Free from Child Marriage (FFCM) Project in Abuja, Emily Janoch, Associate Vice President of Design and Thought Leadership/Programme Strategy and Innovation at CARE USA, stated that child marriage costs Nigeria over $10 billion annually. She presented the Give Girls a Chance Programme and J-PAL partnership, advocating for an evidence-based approach to policy that prioritizes government involvement.

Janoch referenced a Centre for Girls Education model that achieved an 80% reduction in child marriage, suggesting that scaling it in Kano and Kaduna would require about $114 million. Primrose Adjepong, Senior Policy Manager at J-PAL Africa, illustrated successful interventions from Madagascar that improved girls' educational outcomes.

Government representatives identified challenges such as inadequate funding and poor coordination, proposing solutions like dedicated budget lines and engagement with traditional leaders. Ngozi Okore from the National Human Rights Commission discussed their efforts in rescuing children at risk of child marriage and promoting human rights education.