PRESS RELEASE FOR INTERNATIONAL DAY OF THE GIRL 2026: ACTIONAID NIGERIA CALLS FOR AN END TO CHILD MARRIAGE AND GREATER INVESTMENT IN GIRLS’ RIGHTS

PRESS RELEASE

INTERNATIONAL DAY OF THE GIRL 2026: ACTIONAID NIGERIA CALLS FOR AN END TO CHILD MARRIAGE AND GREATER INVESTMENT IN GIRLS’ RIGHTS

10th October 2026 Abuja, Nigeria 

As the world marks the 2026 International Day of the Girl on 11th October under the theme, “End child marriage and invest in girls’ rights,” ActionAid Nigeria calls for urgent and sustained action to protect the rights of girls in Nigeria and create the conditions for every girl to learn, thrive, lead and determine her own future.

This theme is a timely reminder that child marriage is not simply a cultural practice or a family matter. It is a violation of girls’ rights that can take away their childhood, interrupt their education, limit their economic opportunities and expose them to violence and early pregnancy. Globally, more than 12 million girls are married before adulthood every year. The United Nations notes that child marriage remains one of the most widespread violations of girls’ rights, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa.

In Nigeria, the situation remains deeply concerning. Recent analysis of the 2024 Demographic and Health Survey found that 33.4 per cent of young women aged 20–24 were married before age 18, with prevalence approaching 50 per cent in the Northeast and Northwest. UNICEF estimates that more than 3.7 million women aged 20–24 were married before turning 18.

Child marriage is closely linked to poverty and limited access to education. Evidence shows that girls from poorer households and those with lower levels of education are significantly more likely to experience early marriage. UNICEF’s recent analysis finds that if every girl in Northern Nigeria completed secondary school, child marriage could fall by up to two-thirds, while adolescent pregnancy would decline and economic productivity would increase.

For girls in communities where early marriage is still accepted as the expected path to adulthood, these realities are not abstract. They are lived experiences.

Aisha Aliyu, one of the girls reached through ActionAid Nigeria’s Girl-led Research and Action Project, was 16 when her family began preparing for her marriage to her cousin. After participating in the project and learning about girls’ rights, education and the risks associated with early marriage, Aisha found the confidence to speak to her parents about her desire to continue her education. Her parents eventually called off the marriage, and Aisha returned to school, where she now hopes to become a businesswoman and mentor other girls in her community.

Aisha’s story shows how access to information, safe spaces and opportunities for girls to speak and participate can help challenge practices that limit their futures. Through the Girl-led Research and Action initiative, ActionAid Nigeria supports girls to investigate issues affecting their lives, generate knowledge, tell their own stories and use evidence to advocate for change.

ActionAid Nigeria believes that girls are not merely beneficiaries of development; they are rights-holders, leaders and agents of change. Through our work with women’s rights organisations, girls and communities, including in our Local Rights Programme (LRP) communities, we work to address barriers affecting girls’ rights, including harmful gender norms, violence, access to education and exclusion from decision-making. Through the Renewed Women’s Voice and Leadership (RWVL) Nigeria Project, funded by Global Affairs Canada, we support locally led action to advance gender equality and strengthen women’s and girls’ leadership.

Speaking in Abuja, Andrew Mamedu, Country Director, ActionAid Nigeria, said:

“Investing in girls is not simply about protecting them from harm; it is about recognising their rights, supporting their leadership and creating the opportunities they need to shape their own lives and contribute meaningfully to society. Girls must be at the centre of the decisions that affect them, and government must ensure that the systems and resources required to make their rights a reality are in place.”

ActionAid Nigeria therefore calls on:

1. Federal and State Governments, National and State Assemblies, and relevant justice and law-enforcement institutions to ensure that laws protecting girls from child marriage and other harmful practices are effectively implemented and enforced, with clear accountability for violations. 
2. The Federal Ministry of Education, Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC), State Ministries of Education and State Universal Basic Education Boards (SUBEBs) to increase investment in safe, quality and inclusive education, particularly for girls in rural, conflict-affected and marginalised communities. 
3. The Federal and State Governments, particularly institutions responsible for social protection and poverty reduction, to expand social protection and livelihood support for vulnerable households and address the economic pressures that increase girls’ vulnerability to child marriage and school dropout. 
4. Ministries of Women Affairs and Youth Development, local governments, schools, legislators and community institutions to create safe and meaningful spaces for girls to participate in policy discussions, research and decisions that affect their lives.

ActionAid Nigeria further calls on parents, communities, traditional and religious leaders, schools, civil society organisations, and the media to challenge norms that limit girls’ choices and create environments where they can lead.

We must invest in girls’ rights, remove the barriers that stand in their way and give girls the power and opportunity to shape their own futures.

Signed,
Andrew Mamedu, PhD
Country Director

#ENDs

Editors' notes 

ActionAid Nigeria,  is a social justice non-governmental organisation working to eradicate poverty and all forms of injustice in Nigeria. We are an affiliate member of the ActionAid International Federation with a presence in 45 countries. AAN works in solidarity with people living in poverty and exclusion to achieve social justice, gender equality, and poverty eradication, towards achieving a just, equitable, and sustainable world in which every person enjoys the right to a life of dignity, freedom from poverty and freedom from all forms of oppression.