Child Marriages in Nigeria

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Child Marriages in Nigeria

The term child marriage is used globally for the association or a formal marriage contract that entered by two individuals who have not reached the age of maturity, that is, they are under the age of 18 years. (Nour, 2009). As per Nour (2009), some of the countries in the world have laws that prevent marriages of people who are under 18 years and then there are also countries and regions that allow the marriage of girls under the age of 18 years on the content of the girl’s parents. Although there are laws preventing child marriages, still there are countries in which child marriages take place. The child marriage has consequences and is dangerous for both boys and girls(UNICEF, 2014)

There are different reasons which are responsible for child marriages around the world which include the poverty of the family, the price of the bride, dowry, traditions, and cultures of the society, the law of the country that allow child marriages, pressure from the society and religion. Other issues include customs of the region, the fear of parents that their child will remain unmarried, illiteracy, and the perception of the society towards inability of the female child to earn money for the family. (Sharon, Houseknecht, and Lewis, 2005)

In history, child marriages have seen as a norm of the society based on poverty rate, religious norms and financial and political conditions of the country. In modern days, the child marriages are reported the most in the developing nations including parts of Africa, South Asia, West Asia, Latin America and Oceania. (UNCEF, 2001). The report published by UNICEF in the year 2012, the number of child marriages is the maximum in the countries including Niger, Mali, Guinea, Chad, Bangladesh and Africa, ranging up to an alarming rate of 60%.

As per a report published by UNICEF (2012), African countries have the highest number of child marriages in the world, where more than 70% of the girls married before attaining the age of 18 years. Nigeria, being specific, has the highest percentage rate of child marriages in the region of Africa, where the approximately 76% of the women are married before the age of 18 and among them to 28% of the women are reported to be married before the age of 15. (UNFPA, 2012). UNICEF conducted a survey where they used a sample for the survey based on available data between the year 1995 and 2004 to study the causes of child marriages, and per the research report, the major reason for child marriages was the violence on regional bases along with the infrastructure that lacked in the region. (UNICEF, 2005)

In Nigeria, the law abides the citizen to get married after attaining the age of 15. However, it is affected by the customs followed by the locals and the religion of the people. The religious courts have therefore allowed the people to get married before the age of 12 years. (Nour, 2009)It is the major cause behind the highest rate of child marriages in Nigeria and other countries of Africa.

The following report based on the study of the major reasons and causes behind the child marriage in Nigeria. The questions that will address in the research include the following:

1. What are the causes of child marriage?
2. What are the effects associated with the practice?
3. What are the factors that make the practice persistent in Nigeria?
4. How can these challenges be addressed?

HYPOTHESIS

The research focuses on the causes behind the increasing rate of child marriages in Nigeria. The main hypothesis which will test in this research include the following:

Hypothesis 1: The Child Marriages associated with the educational level.

Hypothesis 2: The child marriages are directly related to the Nigerian culture.

Hypothesis 3: The Child marriages are a result of religious customs in Nigeria.

Hypothesis 4: The child marriages associated with the income level of people in Nigeria.

Data Collection Method:

The data collected for research will be secondary in nature, where the data will be collected through reports and surveys conducted by world organizations like UNICEF and UNFPA along with research articles published by different authors to study the child marriages in the Nigerian people. The data collected will include both qualitative and quantitative data, which will help analyze the data and better understand the major causes that have resulted in child marriage in Nigeria.

Mode of Data Collection:

Depending on the nature of the topic for data collection and the type along with the characteristics of the respondents from whom the data has been collected, the researcher needs to choose the mode of data collection carefully. (Weimer, 1995). The nature of topic for our research is very sensitive in nature and data collection from various primary and secondary sources. In the article below, various modes of primary and secondary research will have discussed, and their importance and consequences about our topic of research will be discussed in detail

PRIMARY DATA COLLECTION

Primary data collection refers to the collection of data directly from the source. It is also known as the first-hand data. (Driscoll, Lynn & Brizee, 2017). There are several sources through which primary data can collect. These include observations, survey, questionnaires, interviews and focused group discussions. Each data collection methodology is discussed with its advantages and disadvantages as follow:

Observations

In this form of data collection, data is collected by the researcher by observing the data respondents personally. In this mode of data collection, the researcher will investigate and observe the respondents to know their opinion and performance on the researcher’s research question.  Following are the advantages and disadvantages of an observation method for data collection.

Advantages:

The data collected through observation is accurate and is collected directly through recording the behaviors of the respondents.

Disadvantages:

There are some disadvantages of the observation method of data collection. These include:

1. Observations are very time to consume as the researcher needs to observe the behavior of each respondent from the selected sample of the population.
2. The method is also costly as the researcher needs to travel as compared to the other modes of primary data collection.
3. The research results could not be accurate as they are prone to the biases of the researcher. The observation data can be affected by the perspective and the thinking of researcher or the investigator.

Observation Methodology and Child Marriages in Nigeria

This methodology for data collection can be used and is feasible for primary data collection on our research topic, Child Marriages in Nigeria because this will allow the researcher to gather first-hand information by observing the respondents for data collection and analysis. It could be particularly important and fruitful in the case of analyzing the possible effects of child marriages on the victims, the girls who are forced to marry at such a young age.

The only challenge is getting access to the respondent’s personal life when conducting observations. The respondents might not be willing to share their information and mightbe reluctant to share their personal and family problems as the topic is very sensitive in nature and families might not be comfortable in sharing information on this topic of research. This methodology for data collection would be very time to consume along with costly as the researcher would be required to travel to different parts of Nigeria to gather first-hand interview information from the respondents. There might also be security concerns for the researcher as there is always threats associated with the harsh behavior of the families when asked about their personal life or asking for information that is sensitive in nature.

Interviews

Another most common methodology used for primary data collection is the personal interviews also known as face to face data collection method. As per Charlie Marshall (2016), the interviews provide an in-depth and most versatile form of data collection methodology. It can also be important in the form of researchers that are sensitive in nature and therefore, this help collect the detail perceptions, attitudes and opinion of the respondents selected as sample for analysis. Interviews that have conducted can be either personal face to face interviews or can also be through telephonic conversations. The advantages and disadvantages of using this methodology for data collection are as follow:

Advantages:

1. Allow comprehensive understanding and in-depth collection of data for analysis.
2. The researcher can more accurately and understand and identify the facial expressions and the body language of the respondents for better analysis purpose.
3. The interviewer can ask non-structured questions when there is any misunderstanding about any answer of the respondent which is not otherwise possible in any other form of data collection.
4. The researcher can use stimulus material along with the visual aids that can help the researcher support data collected through interviews.
5. The participants of the selected sample will have more commitment and participation with regards to the interviews, and therefore, the interviews can be prolonged according to the need of the researcher.

Disadvantages:

1. The methodology of personal interviews can be very time-consuming at times as the length of the interview with each respondent can vary according to the need.
2. The personal interviews can also be costly as they will require more time and at times need the researcher to travel to the same place for sometimes…..