Nigeria. In the majority of cultural norms, the hallmarks of gender relations are male domination and superiority over women. In such a setting, given the unequal power relations, women are often more disadvantaged than men, and their rights more prone to abuse. 124 356. Access to justice for women is difficult, and more so in the rural areas. The CRM learnt that regarding marriage, child maintenance and divorce disputes, women find that customary law courts and Sharia courts dispense justice more swiftly, as they have fewer technical procedures and are more affordable. In some states visited in the north, female participants decried the view that Sharia is oppressive. They held that Sharia has a fair and just moral ethic and pointed out that it is cultural practices that have been used to oppress them. 357. Early marriages have affected the enrolment and retention of women in the education sector. While the Child Rights Act sets the marriage age at 18 years, the constitution is equivocal in this regard, stating, on the one hand, that full age means 18 years and, on the other, that any married woman is deemed to be of full age. In the north and other areas where the marriage of girls soon after attaining puberty is deemed lawful, girls are married before they attain the age of 18. In addition, these early-child marriages lead to health problems for very young mothers. Incidences of forced marriages were also reported as being common, which is a violation of the right of women to marry with their free and full consent. 358. In some regions, women inherit property (including land) on the same basis as men. However, it was reported by stakeholders that, in many areas, women do not inherit property where there are male children in the family. Widows in most cultural settings are not allowed to inherit the properties of their husbands, as male relatives of the deceased take over the estate of the deceased, often failing to look after the interests of the widow or children of the deceased. 359. Some traditional practices were identified by stakeholders as being harmful, as they involve acts that violate the physical integrity of women’s bodies. FGM is still commonly practised among some ethnic groups as a matter of religious duty or traditional rite of passage. There have been concerted efforts and campaigns by the Ministry of Health at the federal and state level and by NGOs to raise awareness concerning the problem of FGM, and this practice has been criminalised. Tribal marks and scarification that were commonly practised in the past are dying out. 360. Polygamy in Nigeria is practised in terms of religious and customary norms. It has been criticised for not upholding the rights of men and women to equality in marriage, for example with regard to inheritance. In addition, the inability of women to negotiate safe sexual practices in some polygamous unions tends to aggravate the spread of the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) and Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS). 361. In many regions, and especially at grass-roots level, there is an absence of adequate antenatal services that would help to check the HIV status