Children Voices on Systemic Cultural Practices That Reinforce Violence, Injustice, and Inequality Against Girls

Denied rights due to cultural norms and systemic barriers in 1960s southwestern Nigeria, violence against girls has been considered acceptable and normative their. Ekine’s analysis facilitates a more nuanced understanding of the impacts of the adoption of the Convention on the Rights of the Child in March of 1991 in Nigeria. Though the convention has rendered acts against children illegal in Nigeria for thirty-three years, forced early marriages, sexual abuse, child trafficking and other forms of violence and injustice, though illegal persist and are justified. Drawing on 1,041 interviews with children aged 8–13 in 29 public schools across five states and the Federal Capital Territory, this chapter documents and analyzes the dimensions of progress in girls’ education and gender based on girls’ experiences in primary schools. In discussing findings that reveal that girls face continue to face gender-based violence and have few support systems against cultural practices that perpetuate gender-based violence in schools. The chapter concludes with discerning, youth informed and driven recommendations for sexuality education and assertive skills training for girls to help combat these issues.