The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has said that 75.1 percent of women in Bauchi State marry before attaining the age of 18, saying that the state led in both North East and North West regions.

The Officer-in-Charge of UNICEF’s Bauchi Field Office, Adams Clement, while speaking, yesterday, during the closing of the 16-day-activism against gender-based violence (GBV) organised with other civil society organisations in Bauchi, said that the state needed to reverse the trend of child marriage to zero.

He said: “I congratulate the Bauchi State government for the efforts to advance the cause of women and children. Over the years, notable progress has undoubtedly been made in the state in this regard. But still, there is a very critical need to continue to intensify all efforts to push forward in advancing holistic development, including the effective handling of all issues revolving around children.”

Adams said that child marriage, as a component of GBV is a huge challenge to the development of adolescent girls, and has enormous adverse effects on their human rights, education, health –including sexual and reproductive health and their socio-economic status later in life.(The Guardian)