Many Years of Adoption of the African and Children’s Charter: Need to Hasten Efforts to End Child Marriage in Africa

Abstract

Children are the future of any society and any act or treatment perpetrated on a child which has the effect of affecting the child negatively, also affects the future of the community.  Marriage is principally an institution in which interpersonal relation usually sexual, is acknowledged.  People also marry for various reasons such as legal, social, libidinal, emotional, financial, spiritual and religious.  Again, who they marry may be determined by rules of incest, prescriptive marriage rules, parental choice and individual desires.A child in Nigeria and indeed in many other countries is anybody below the age of eighteen(Child Rights Act2003).  Such an individual does not possess the requisite maturity to understand the social, libidinal, emotional, financial, spiritual and religious dynamics of life.After several years of adoption of The African and Children’s Charter, child marriage    still persists in many parts of Africa, Nigeria inclusive.  This paper a glance at the African and Children’s Charter; the endemic practice of child marriage in Africa and proffers recommendations that will lead to collective effort at eradicating the practice.

Keywords: African Charter, Child, Welfare, Marriage