Abstract:
This paper explores the issue of early marriage in Jos South Local
Government Area in Plateau State, Nigeria. 11 sheds light
specifically on reasons belund its perpetuation, its harmful
consequences, shows how it constitutes a barrier to education
and enjoyments of girls' human rights and how it further
threatens the development of the Local Government Area. The
data collected was obtained through primary and secondary
sources. The sources involved the use of questionnaires which
were administered directly to respondents, while, the secondary
sources were derived from a vigorous review of literature. The
findings from review literature on early marriage suggest that
early marriage is due to many factors including among others, the
search for economic survival, protection of young girls, peer
group and family pressure, controlling female behaviour and
sexuality, wars on civil conflicts and socio-cultural and religious
values, ’ll is a violation of girls' human right as it deprives her
from freedom of opportunity for personal development and
other rights. It is also a development challenge for population
pressure, health care cost and lost opportunities for physical
development. It is a barrier to girls' education as young girls drop
°ul of school to gel married which imparls negatively on the
community as a whole and the wellbeing of future generation. This practice stands in direct conflict with the objectives of thP
Millennium Development Goals (MDG'S), such as promotion of
basic education, fight against poverty, the prevention of
HfV/AIDS and the reduction of maternal mortality rate. To deal
with the problem a number of strategies have been suggested
mainly providing economic opportunities Io young girls,
promoting education of girls and using mass media to increase
awareness of the whole community about the consequences and
dangers of early marriage on girls themselves, their families and
the society as a whole.
