Key findings: religion and time of marriage

'Religion and time of marriage: the role of faith leaders in advancing the cause of adolescent girls - key findings' is a study, which listened to community members, local leaders, faith leaders, and adolescent girls in three areas of Kaduna state.

It aims to find answers to four critical questions that revolved around the influence faith leaders have on:

• their congregations and community members
• governmental actors
• adolescent girls and
• other faith leaders

In some regions in Northern Nigeria, the incidence of girl-child marriage is as high as 87%, leaving a high proportion of adolescent girls in the region with very limited choices and opportunities to reach their full potential (AfriDevInfo, 2016).

Early marriage is highly prevalent in Northern Nigeria. The significance of religion in Nigeria and the lack of law enforcement on early marriage places religious institutions and leaders in a privileged position to exercise influence on eradicating the practice.

In this context, Christian Aid - as part of the Collective Action for Adolescent Girls Initiative (CAAGI) project - commissioned a study that explored how Muslim and Christian faith leaders can advance the cause of adolescent girls in their timing of marriage.

CAAGI seeks to improve significantly the choices and opportunities for adolescent girls in Kaduna state to live productive and meaningful lives.