Nigeria has the largest number of child brides in Africa. On International Day of the Girl Child 2026, DigiCivic Initiative looks at child marriage, girls’ digital inclusion and online safety, and what must change.
Every year on 11 October, International Day of the Girl Child draws attention to the rights of girls everywhere. The United Nations’ theme for 2026 is “End child marriage and invest in girls’ rights”. It was shaped through consultations with girls, girl-led networks, civil society organisations and UN partners.
For DigiCivic Initiative, that call has two parts. Girls need protection from harmful practices offline. They also need safe, equal access to the digital spaces where more and more of life now happens.
Child marriage: a global problem, felt sharply in Nigeria
According to the UN, more than 12 million girls are married before adulthood each year, roughly one every three seconds. Sub-Saharan Africa has the highest prevalence, at 31 per cent.
Nigeria has the largest number of child brides in Africa. UNICEF reports that more than 23 million girls and women in Nigeria were married as children.
Child marriage can take girls out of school, harm their health, expose them to violence and limit their choices. The UN also highlights the toll on mental health: self-harm remains one of the leading causes of death among adolescent girls aged 15 to 19 worldwide.
Girls’ digital inclusion: the divide in Nigeria
Girls increasingly learn, find information, seek help and take part in public life online. Yet access is unequal. UNICEF research in north-western Nigeria found that only 4.3% of adolescent girls in Katsina and 2.2% in Sokoto used the internet at least once a week.
Access alone is not enough. Girls also need the skills, support and safeguards to use digital spaces safely.
Online safety for girls: when platforms fail children
On 8 October 2026, Human Rights Activists in Iran (HRA) published an investigation. It found that an Iranian state-licensed matchmaking app made girls aged 13 to 17 publicly searchable as prospective spouses.
DigiCivic Initiative joined HRA and 22 other organisations in a joint letter. The letter calls on technology companies to remove the app and its promotional accounts, independently check the age ratings of matchmaking apps, and respond within 30 days.
That case concerns Iran, not Nigeria. But it raises a question that applies everywhere: are digital services built to protect children, or can they expose them to harm?
Progress is possible
Child marriage is not inevitable. The UN estimates that investment in girls’ education, legal reform and social protection has prevented around 68 million child marriages over the past 25 years.
In Nigeria, UNICEF reported in 2024 that the national prevalence of child marriage had fallen from 44% to 30%. But because Nigeria’s population is growing fast, UNICEF expects the number of child brides to rise by more than one million by 2030. Progress must go further, and faster.
What DigiCivic calls for in Nigeria
- Child safety by design: meaningful child-safety safeguards built into digital services
- The Child’s Rights Act 2003: protection in every state under the Act, which sets 18 as the minimum age of marriage
- Digital inclusion: equal digital access and skills for girls
- Girls’ participation: girls’ voices in the decisions that affect their lives
Frequently asked questions
When is International Day of the Girl Child?
It is marked every year on 11 October.
What is the theme for International Day of the Girl Child 2026?
The UN’s theme is “End child marriage and invest in girls’ rights”.
How many child brides are there in Nigeria?
UNICEF reports that more than 23 million girls and women in Nigeria were married as children, the largest number in Africa.
What is the minimum age of marriage under Nigeria’s Child’s Rights Act?
The Child’s Rights Act 2003 sets the minimum age of marriage at 18.
Stand with girls
- Share this article and start a conversation about girls’ rights, offline and online.
- If you have experienced or witnessed a digital rights violation, such as cyber harassment, contact us at contact@digicivic.org.
- Subscribe to the DigiCivic Newsletter for our quarterly updates.