Body sets plan in motion to fight early marriage

The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has mapped out girl education strategies aimed at discouraging girls from getting married before they attain age fifteen in Nigeria.

The organisation expressed dismay at the increase in Nigerian children presently out of schools (with females forming the highest percentage) and believed the mapped plans would go a long way to halt the scourge.

In a press statement marking the Africa Child Day, UNICEF representative in Nigeria, Jean Gough stressed the need to halt early marriage among the girls.

He added that UNICEF believes that investment in girls’ education and getting more girls into schools will delay early marriage.

Said Gough,

"Girls’ education is vital because educated girls become better mothers, have fewer and healthier children and are more empowered. An educated girl will have a better life. Every additional year of schooling delays age at marriage.”

Training of female teachers, provision of cash to assist schoolgirls in purchasing textbooks, school uniforms amongst other things are all included in the mapped out plan, according to Gough.

He said the Girls’ Education Project is funded by the United Kingdom’s (UK) Department of International Development (DFID) and implemented by UNICEF, and is aimed at getting no fewer than one million more girls into schools by 2020.