NCWS Calls for Action to End Child Marriage in Nigeria

The National Council of Women’s Societies (NCWS) has called for urgent action to combat child marriage in Nigeria, where over 24 million women and girls were married before their 18th birthday. In a statement marking the International Day of the Girl Child, NCWS emphasized that Nigeria ranks among the highest globally for child brides and cannot meet the 2030 deadline to end the practice without funded interventions and law enforcement.

Citing UNICEF data and the 2023-2024 Nigeria Demographic and Health Survey, the NCWS reported that 33.4 percent of women aged 20-24 were married before 18, with rates nearing 50 percent in the North-east and North-west. NCWS President Princess Edna Azura described child marriage as a national development crisis driven by poverty.

The council proposed an eight-point action plan, including enforcing the minimum marriage age, supporting girls' education, and promoting later marriages through community leaders. They urged the National Assembly to review constitutional provisions regarding marriage age and called for dedicated funding to combat child marriage.