Economic reasons are also used to justify the custom in a nation prone to drought, food shortages and malnutrition and where 60% of the population lives below the poverty line, notably in the vast rural zones.
‘UN statistics reveal that 30% of girls in Niger are married before 15 years of age and 75% before 18 years. Some Muslim organizations condemn initiatives to hold off wedlock and promote contraception as 'the devil's work brought by the West'.’
Dr. Mamane Sani, a doctor in Gabou, a town in Maradi, argued, "The uterus of young girls is hardly ready to hold a baby and pregnancy exposes them to the risk of obstetrical problems, notably fistula and damage to internal organs that leads to constant, debilitating incontinence. The condition often leaves victims shunned or abandoned. It can lead to infection, even death, and while surgery exists to correct the damage, such an option is rare in poor areas." The UN Population Fund (UNFPA) revealed that 48% of married minors had fistula before they were 19 years old.
The premature marriages have contributed to Niger's remarkably high birth rate which, at 7.6 children per woman, is one of the world's highest. Niger also has one of the world's highest maternal mortality rates.
Source: AFP
