A Qualitative Study of the Causes and Consequences of Girl Child Migration in Plateau State, Nigeria

Girl Child migration in Nigeria has become an issue of concern in recent times because of its devastating consequences in the society, especially in Plateau State. One of the consequence of such migration is sexual exploitation and abuse, which according to the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP), occurs on daily basis. NAPTIP unveiled the nature of sexual exploitation and abuse of young girls in Plateau State and other parts of Nigeria owing to internal and external migration. These young girls usually migrate within and outside Nigeria without restriction in search of greener pastures. Paradoxically the young girls end up becoming victims of abused and enslavement. The migrants ranges from minors, teenagers and adults and this has negative implications on them, their families and the society. The objective of this paper is to explore the factors responsible for the massive migration of girls in Nigeria ranging from possible parental neglect, decline in moral values, poor regional migration policies, poverty and quest for materialism. The study adopted the qualitative research design. Purposive sampling method was used to select respondents. The instrument of data collection was key informant interview (KII) and focused group discussion (FGD). The findings of the study revealed the causes and consequences of girl child migration in Plateau state. The study recommended practical solutions on reformation of local and regional national policies on irregular migration in Nigerian Society because of the consequences sexual of girl child migration.