CLIMATE CHANGE AND CHILD MARRIAGE

Child marriage is a global phenomenon happening for many socioeconomic reasons, but in this particular case it is evident that the already existing global trend of child marriage is further exacerbated because of climate change.

Climate change leads to rising temperature, shifting precipitation patterns and increasing extreme events; people whose livelihoods are intrinsically connected specially to natural resources, livestock, fisheries and agriculture suffer without attention to adaptation.

Level of education:73% of Nigerian women with no formal education were married before 18, compared to only 9% who had completed higher education. Further education is almost impossible for some girls, who have little choice but to depend on their husbands for the rest of their lives.

Political and economic ties: Some girls are married off by their parents to enhance political and social alliances with rich families or business partners and to improve their economic status.

Harmful practices: “Prepubescent” marriage is very common in Nigeria. A girl is first married, and the man is expected not to touch her until she reaches puberty. Some Nigerian men reportedly prefer to marry children. Parents marry off their daughters at a very early age to ensure they marry as virgins and thereby retain the family honour. Girls are not accepted as equal partners within marriages, which contributes to a sense of low self-worth.

Religion: Religion has been found to be a supportive frame for persistent cultural traditions that justify child marriage in Nigeria. There are strict religious taboos regarding female sexuality and purity, and preachers argue that under Islamic doctrines girls’ maturity for marriage is defined by physical appearance and menstruation. Some of the highest rates of child marriage are found in Sharia-legislated Kano State, where child marriages are justified on religious and traditional grounds with age of adulthood being determined by puberty. Similarly, in Christian jurisdiction, Imo State, girls’ are forced to marry if they have a child out of wedlock as it is viewed as dishonourable by the community.

“Honour” can be even more important to an unemployed father who cannot feed his children. Men are brought up to believe they should be the breadwinners. If they cannot do this they may feel emasculated as if they are not performing their duty. These feelings of inadequacy increase if a man’s daughter is gossiped about, sexually harassed or considered promiscuous in any way. To avoid emasculation, fathers are encouraged to marry their daughters and avoid loss of honour.

“To keep our honour we turn to marriage.” In Hidden Connections Razia’s father explains that if his daughter is seen with another boy he will lose his honour.

Hidden Connections paints a worrying picture of climate change’s impact on girls in Nigeria, It suggests that climate change is exacerbating existing drivers of child marriage including poverty and patriarchal norms.

Could this be a worldwide trend?

 But with child marriage also increasing as a result of droughts from Mozambique to Guatemala, the lives of thousands of girls worldwide could be under threat from increasing global temperatures.

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