Legal Protection of the Girl Child against Child Marriage

483 Pages·2017·2.8 MB·English

by  Dr Adeniyi

Legal Protection of the Girl Child against Child Marriage (Aure
Yarinya) in Nigeria
By
Olayinka Oluwakemi Adeniyi
Submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree
LLD (Human Rights)
In the Faculty of Law
University of Pretoria
August 2016
Supervisor: Prof Michelo Hansungule
University of Pretoria
Declaration of Originality

Full name of student: ADENIYI OLAYINKA OLUWAKEMI
……………………………………………………………………………………………….
Student number: 13258428
1. I understand what plagiarism is and I am aware of the University’s
policy in this regard.
2. I declare that this thesis is my own original work. Where other
people’s work has been used (from a printed source, internet or any
other source), this has been properly acknowledged and referenced in
accordance with department requirements.
3. I have not used work previously produced by another student or any
other person to hand in as my own.
4. I have not allowed and will not allow, anyone to copy my work with the
intention of passing it off as his or her own work.

Signature of student:……………………………………….
Signature of supervisor:……………………………………

ii
Dedication

To God - the author and the finisher of my faith. “Father, all the glory
belongs to you.”

iii
Acknowledgements

I thank the grace of God for this doctoral programme. The journey of life is a
lonely race full of uncertainties and risks but many times fans and
supporters give you the impetus to forge ahead even when weariness seems
to weigh you down. All through the journey of this programme, I can say
that I have been and I am an embodiment of the grace that has surrounded
me with strong people for guidance, for learning, for support and
encouragement in all areas, spiritual, academic, financial, moral and
otherwise.
I am particularly grateful to the following people.
Firstly, my supervisor Prof Michelo Hansungule for being a father and a
guide. His dedication to the progress of this programme is deeply
appreciated.
Dr Yinka Akanle and Ms Seri Solebo who took time out of no time to read
and critique my thesis and give suggestions towards making it a success.
My father Mr Okanlawon Donald Akinnibosun, my elder sister Mrs
Omotinuolawa Olowu and her husband Dr Adekunle Olowu for all their
support and encouragement, and my younger brother Akinkunmi
Akinnibosun for running all the errands. I also like to appreciate my
immediate younger brother Mr Akinpelumi Akinnibosun for his contribution
towards the latter part of this program. To everyone I am grateful.
Most importantly, my husband Rev Amos Adeniyi for pushing me to take the
step and for his support all through. “MC, thank you for always being
there.” And my children Fortune, Flourish and Favour for their
understanding. “Wena, we made it together”.
Last but not least, I must acknowledge the financial support of the Margaret
McNamara Memorial Fund (MMMF) for this LLD programme.

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Abstract

The purpose of this study is to interrogate how law, and Nigerian domestic
law in particular, can be used to bring about a change in society with
respect to child marriage.
Despite international and regional prohibitions and national laws against
the sexual abuse of the girl child in Nigeria, the practice of child marriage
persists, predominantly in Northern Nigeria which is known for its strong
religious and cultural leanings.
Of the women in this part of the country, 45% are given out in marriage
before their fifteenth birthday and usually with the obligation to become
mothers within the first year of marriage. The reality is that marriage for
girls of twelve years or even younger is not unknown. The significance of the
problem however is related to the fact that certain aspects of Nigerian law,
while not expressly supporting child marriage, acknowledge or recognise the
practice. The issue is further complicated by inherent contradictions in the
national jurisprudence.
The existence of multiple conflicting and contradictory legal provisions,
particularly with respect to the age of a girl child, and the admission in
some of the Nigeria’s legislation that child marriage exists, raise questions
about the condonation of the practice. In addition, there is customary law
and Islamic law which do not necessarily reject the practice and which are
ironically part of the applicable laws in Nigeria’s legal system.
Further aspects of the discourse are the legalities which inhibit the direct
application of ratified international and regional treaties, the express
decriminalisation of sexual intercourse with a girl child as long as it is
within marriage, and the complexities associated with federalism.
The implications and consequences of child marriage have moved out of the
private domain to the point where they now constitute bigger crimes in the
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public sphere, namely the danger to the lives of individual girls and the
threat to the development of Nigerian society.
This thesis looks at the practice of child marriage in general and specifically
the issues of age and consent as they relate to capacity and consent to
marriage, sexual intercourse and the right to non-discrimination and
equality under Nigerian jurisprudence.
It examines the nature, effects and legality of child marriage by investigating
the reasons for the practice and the nature of legal response in Nigeria. It
considers the position of the legal systems of constituent states on the
application of international and regional human rights instruments to
protect the girl child against child marriage, and evaluates the role of the
Federal Government of Nigeria in dealing with the issue in light of its
signature and ratification of international treaties and regional charters on
the protection of the girl child.
The thesis further analyses the conflicts that emanate from the interplay of
differing customary law, Sharia and constitutional provisions on child
marriage in Nigeria’s competing legal systems. Lastly, it proposes a law
making model for the prohibition of child marriage by prescribing
punishment and addressing other child marriage related issues.

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Table of Contents
Declaration of Originality ............................................................................................................... ii
Dedication ........................................................................................................................................... iii
Acknowledgements .......................................................................................................................... iv
Abstract ................................................................................................................................................ v
List of abbreviations .................................................................................................................... xii
CHAPTER ONE .................................................................................................................................. 1
Introduction ...................................................................................................................................... 1
1.1 Background ............................................................................................................................ 1
1.2 Problem statement ........................................................................................................... 11
1.3 Thesis statement............................................................................................................... 11
1.4 Research objectives ......................................................................................................... 12
1.5 Research questions .......................................................................................................... 13
1.6 Research Methodology ................................................................................................... 14
1.7 Limitations .......................................................................................................................... 15
1.8 Literature review ............................................................................................................... 15
1.8.1 Knowledge gap and contribution ........................................................................... 23
1.9 Chapter outline .................................................................................................................. 25
CHAPTER TWO ................................................................................................................................ 28
Theoretical framework ................................................................................................................... 28
2.1 Introduction ........................................................................................................................ 28
2.2 Feminist theory ................................................................................................................. 28
2.2.1 African feminism ....................................................................................................... 33
2.3 Rights theory ...................................................................................................................... 39
2.3.1 Universalism versus cultural relativism ......................................................... 42
2.3.2 The theory of state sovereignty as it relates to the rights theory ..... 50
2.3.3 Monism and dualism ............................................................................................... 54
2.4 Sociolegal theory............................................................................................................... 57
2.4.1 Legal pluralism ............................................................................................................... 61
2.4.2 Federalism .................................................................................................................... 66
2.5 Theoretical synthesis and application .................................................................... 69
2.6. Postulation ......................................................................................................................... 73
2.7. Nigeria................................................................................................................................... 74
2.8 Summary and conclusion .............................................................................................. 78
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CHAPTER THREE ........................................................................................................................... 81
Child marriage in context ......................................................................................................... 81
3.1 Introduction ........................................................................................................................ 81
3.2 Sexual abuse in context ................................................................................................. 81
3.3 The girl child ....................................................................................................................... 86
3.4 The institution of marriage .......................................................................................... 90
3.5 Perspective on child marriage..................................................................................... 92
3.5.1 Understanding child marriage from within ................................................... 96
3.5.2 Child marriage: cultural, religious, both or neither ................................ 100
3.5.3 Establishing child marriage as sexual abuse ............................................ 109
3.5.4 The issue of capacity in child marriage ..................................................... 112
3.5.5 The issue of consent ........................................................................................... 114
3.5.6 Forced intercourse within child marriage ................................................ 116
3.6 Unions similar to child marriage in other jurisdiction .................................. 118
3.6.1 Ukuthwala in South Africa .................................................................................. 119
3.6.2 Kumpibira in Malawi .............................................................................................. 122
3.7 The legal aspect of child marriage ....................................................................... 126
3.8 Child marriage in Nigeria: Prevalence and causes ........................................... 129
3.9 Case study of child marriages in Nigeria and the sexual experiences of
the girl brides. .......................................................................................................................... 134
3.10 Effects of child marriage ........................................................................................... 137
3.11 Sociolegal solutions to the problem of child marriage ................................ 140
3.11.1 Child marriage eradication through cultural practices and/or
cultural principles .............................................................................................................. 143
3.12 Summary and conclusion ......................................................................................... 152
CHAPTER FOUR ............................................................................................................................ 155
Domestic laws for the protection of the girl child against child marriage in Nigeria
............................................................................................................................................................ 155
4.1 Introduction ...................................................................................................................... 155
4.2 The Nigerian legal system ........................................................................................... 156
4.3 English law in Nigeria ................................................................................................... 159
4.3.1 Statutory law and statutory marriage in Nigeria ...................................... 162
4.4 Customary law in Nigeria ........................................................................................ 164
4.4.1 Customary marriage in Nigeria ......................................................................... 166
4.5 Islamic law in Nigeria .................................................................................................... 169
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4.5.1 Islamic marriage in Nigeria ................................................................................ 172
4.6 Judicial precedence ....................................................................................................... 174
4.7 Judicial institutions in Nigeria ................................................................................. 176
4.7.1 The superior courts ................................................................................................ 176
4.7.2 The inferior courts ................................................................................................. 183
4.7.3 The police ................................................................................................................... 184
4.8 The Constitution ............................................................................................................. 185
4.9 Legislative provisions ................................................................................................... 190
4.10 The Constitution of Nigeria and its provision agaist child marriage .... 192
4.11 The Marriage Act and the Matrimonial Causes Act ...................................... 194
4.12 The Child Rights Act of 2003 ................................................................................. 196
4.13 Criminal provisions on child marriage in Nigeria .......................................... 199
4.13.1 The Criminal Code ............................................................................................... 200
4.13.2 The Penal Code ...................................................................................................... 203
4.14 The Trafficking in Persons (Prohibition) Enforcement and
Administration Act ................................................................................................................. 204
4.15 The Violence against Persons (Prohibition) Act ............................................. 206
4.16 Policies relevant to the practice of child marriage....................................... 207
4.17 Institutions that handle related issues apart from the Police and
courts. .......................................................................................................................................... 209
4.17.1 The National Human Rights Commission ................................................. 209
4.17.2 The International Federation of Women Lawyers (FIDA) .................. 210
4.17.3 The Isa Wali Empowerment Initiative ........................................................ 211
4.18 Evaluating the protection against child marriage afforded by legal
provisions in Nigeria .............................................................................................................. 213
4.19 Summary and conclusion....................................................................................... 223
CHAPTER FIVE .............................................................................................................................. 225
International framework for the protection of the girl child against child marriage
............................................................................................................................................................ 225
5.1 Introduction ...................................................................................................................... 225
5.2 State obligations under international human rights ...................................... 225
5.2.1 The responsibility to protect, to prevent and to defend ....................... 231
5.2.2 Responses of international communities and citizens .......................... 235
5.3 Related multilateral instruments on child marriage ...................................... 238
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5.3.1 Global and regional human rights instruments with provisions on
child marriage ...................................................................................................................... 239
5.3.2 General treaties on capacity and consent to marriage .......................... 240
5.3.2.1 The African Charter on Human and People’s Rights (ACHPR) 1981
.................................................................................................................................................... 241
5.3.2.2 The International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural
Rights (ICESCR) and the International Covenant on Civil and Political
Rights (ICCPR) ...................................................................................................................... 244
5.3.3 Women specific human rights charters ........................................................ 248
5.3.3.1 The United Nations Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of
Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) ................................................................. 249
5.3.3.2 Protocol to the African Charter on Human and Peoples Rights on
the Rights of Women in Africa ...................................................................................... 251
5.3.4 Children specific human rights instruments ............................................. 254
5.3.4.1 The Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) ............................... 255
5.3.4.2 The African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child
(ACRWC) .................................................................................................................................. 258
5.3.4.2.1 Challenges relating to women and children specific treaties ......... 260
5.3.4.3 Marriage specific instruments ...................................................................... 263
5.4 Deductions for international and regional human rights provisions on
child marriage .......................................................................................................................... 265
5.5 Implementation of treaties by member states .................................................. 268
5.6 Domestication and applicability of treaties in Nigeria .................................. 273
5.7 Emerging trends with respect to state obligations under international
law to protect the girl child against child marriage ............................................... 282
5.8 Assessing the response of Nigeria to its obligation under human rights
instruments ............................................................................................................................... 293
5.9 Summary and conclusion ......................................................................................... 297
CHAPTER SIX ............................................................................................................................... 300
Conflict of laws, legal challenges and legal solutions to the problem of child
marriage in Nigeria ..................................................................................................................... 300
6.1 Introduction ...................................................................................................................... 300
6.2 Explaining conflict of law............................................................................................ 300
6.3 The general conflict of law among the three legal orders with regard to
age of childhood as it affects capacity to consent to marriage and sexual
intercourse in Nigeria ........................................................................................................... 304
6.4 Specific situations of conflict of law in Nigeria ................................................ 313
6.4.1 Conflicts of law within the same legal system .............................................. 313
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