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Authors
Shakya, Holly Baker https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5320-9575
Cislaghi, Beniamino
Fleming, Paul
Levtov, Ruti G.
Boyce, Sabrina C.
Raj, Anita
Silverman, Jay G.
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Funding
Funding for this research was provided by:
Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation (OPP1066462)
National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (K01HD087551)
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Article History
Received: 26 March 2019
Accepted: 18 April 2022
First Online: 18 May 2022
Declarations
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: Wives aged 13–17 years were included the study. Because these individuals were married, they are not viewed as children in Niger, and have rights to consent to participate in research and to receive family planning services without consent of their parents (i.e., they are considered emancipated). Similar to California Emancipation of Minors Law (Family Code section 700-7002), in which minors who have entered a valid marriage are legally emancipated, according to customary law in Niger, children become independent from their parents after they first marry. Niger law does not legally define the age of consent beyond the age at marriage. “Although civil majority is set at 21 years, minors can reach majority artificially by means of emancipation. This takes place either automatically when the minor marries, or by court decision at the request of the father or the mother and provided that the minor has reached the age of 15 [, ]. Niger is also a patrilocal culture, so adolescent wives do not live in the same residence or often village as their family of origin, thus, even if deemed appropriate, it would not be feasible to obtain parental consent in this context. All participants provided verbal consent, as the Hausa and Zarma languages are not in written form. The consent script was written in French and administered verbally in the Hausa or Zarma language, based on the native language of the participant. Importantly, the consent script and protocol <i>was approved by the Niger Ministry of Health’s Ethics Committee to conform to local laws and standards</i>. As this Ethics Committee is the arbiter of ethical considerations legally and socially in this context, their approval is the ultimate voice in the decisions around ethical conduct in research in Niger. In all cases, consent scripts, forms and protocols were also approved by University of California San Diego, IRB.
: Not applicable.
: The authors declare that they have no competing interests.
