Girls left behind as weak laws keep millions out of school

Across Nigeria, the laws are meant to protect women and girls exist in name, but their impact is far from felt. While some states have taken steps to domesticate the Violence Against Persons Prohibition Act (VAPP) and the Child Rights Act, many still struggle to implement them in a way that keeps girls safe, secure, and in school. The result is a widening gap between policy and lived reality, especially for the poorest families.

This is according to the new state-by-state assessment of Women’s Economic Empowerment (WEE) released by BudgIT on Wednesday.

“Child protection, development and family cohesion are not just policy objectives. They are national imperatives,” said Hajiya Imaan Sulaiman Ibrahim, minister of Women’s Affairs.

Her warning captures what is unfolding across the country as states pass laws without the systems necessary to enforce them.

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BudgIT reports that in the South South, Cross River offers a rare example of what enforcement can look like when backed by political will. The state stands out for its investment in women’s participation in the economy and digital skills.

Its 2024 budget allocated more than N800 million to digital literacy programmes for women, including training for 100 girls in graphic design, web design and web hosting, alongside an ICT forum for women and children. Although the state has no women-specific funding in creative or cultural sectors, its approach to technology and literacy shows a focused commitment to emerging industries.

More importantly, Cross River is the first state to introduce a Multi-Sectoral Costed Action Plan(CAP) for implementing the VAPP Law. The plan, designed to run from 2023 to 2027, outlines clear activities, responsible actors and budget allocations to tackle sexual and gender based violence. It provides a funded, practical structure for translating the VAPP Law into action. With female primary school enrollment at 85.9 percent and only 6.5 percent out of school, the state shows how legal protection and education efforts reinforce each other.

Findings from the report show that this contrasts sharply with conditions in states like Sokoto, where female education indicators remain among the lowest in the country. According to the MICS 2021 data, women’s literacy stands at just 16.4 percent, only 3.5 percent of women complete higher education, and 66.4 percent of girls who are poor are out of school. The state records the lowest secondary school attendance for girls in Nigeria, with 15.8 percent in the junior and senior levels combined.

Out of 42,862 teachers, only 11,098 are female. Although Sokoto has domesticated both the VAPP Act and the Child Rights Act, enforcement and implementation gaps continue to drive insecurity, early marriage and school dropout.

Interventions exist. With support from development partners, the state has brought more than 418,000 out of school girls into classrooms through cash transfers, school feeding, girls for girls mentoring and female teacher training. Projects like the Save The Child Initiative’s REACH programme in Sokoto also provide psychosocial support, mentorship and vocational training to help adolescent girls return to school or gain income-earning skills. But without firm enforcement of protective laws, progress remains fragile.

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According to the report, Yobe faces similar challenges. With only 41.4 percent of girls enrolled in primary school and 21 percent in senior secondary, the state’s out-of-school rate stands at a troubling 59.3 percent. Female literacy is 22.2 percent and the rate of women completing higher education is just 5.6 percent.

Poverty, insecurity and cultural norms remain major barriers, worsened by weak enforcement of the Child Rights Act and the VAPP Act. Yobe has launched several programmes, including the World Bank-supported AGILE project, which is building 50 new girls’ secondary schools and rehabilitating 225 others, and providing vocational and digital skills training.

These statistics reveal more than economic hardship. They point to systemic failures in legal protection. In states where enforcement is weak, early marriage and gender based violence rise, prompting families to withdraw girls from school for perceived safety. Many states still lack Sexual Assault Referral Centres. Some domesticated the laws but have not made the consequential amendments required to operationalise them.

In states like Benue, where both the VAPP Act and Child Rights Act are in place, gaps remain in tackling the social barriers that keep girls out of classrooms. Experts recommend targeted public awareness campaigns and stronger community engagement to challenge norms that discourage girls’ education.

The Minister of Women Affairs has warned that Nigeria faces a rapid rise in violence against minors. “Every day, we receive about 10 cases of gender-based violence, and eight of those 10 are minors,” she said. She also highlighted the growing threat of digital harm, including extortion, bullying, sextortion and grooming. “Our VAPP Act is 10 years old. The reforms will capture the protective measures of the digital dimensions,” she added.

The federal government is reviewing the Child Rights Act to ensure full domestication and is also updating the National Child Policy. It is also creating a National Child Protection Database and Child Wellbeing Index, alongside a Child Protection Research and Information Centre supported by UNICEF.

But the strongest legal frameworks cannot succeed without enforcement at the state level. The Cross River model, with its cost and funded action plan, shows a path forward. Nigeria’s progress depends not on passing new laws but on the courage of governors to fund, implement, and enforce what already exists.