The issue of domestic violence against the Nigerian child has been in the front burner of national discourse for quite some time now with the stakeholders trying to proffer workable solutions to the menace. However, rather than abating, the social demeanor has assumed an epidemic dimension as the media is daily reporting incidences of cruelty being meted to the hapless minors. The three major areas of violence against children are child trafficking; child labour and domestic abuse. My heart bleeds when one sees a child being maltreated by heartless adults for whatever reasons. Violence against children could be emotional, physical and sexual . Statistics have revealed that six out of 10 Nigerian children experienced one form of violence at childhood while one out of 10 boys and four out of 10 girls are sexually abuse. In the same vein, one out of two children would have experienced physical violence and one out of five suffers emotional violence, all between age zero and 12 years.
Sadly, there are instances when you overheard neighbours raining abuses and curses on little children staying with them at the slightest provocation. The kids could be their own wards, relative children living with them or the little maid, which is child labour on its own. The verbal abuse might later graduate to light shoves; then hot slaps, hitting the child with hard objects and heavy punches. There are cases when the child is beaten to death only for the culprit to heap the blame on the devil. Most often, we have cases of adults using hot pressing iron on the body of a child or putting the child’s hands, legs or buttocks on hot cooking stove. The economic situation in the country has made many indigent parents to look for ways of unburdening their responsibilities to their children. One way of doing this is to encourage some of their children to stay with their relatives or even non-relatives, who often maltreat them or turn them to slaves in the family. The most pathetic are orphans whom fate has dealt cruelly with and have nowhere to go or neither anyone to share their agony with. These helpless children are often subjected to cruel beatings, starved of food and other physical abuse. There are instances when the teenager is turned into a sex slave to the randy ‘’daddy’’ or his male children. The unwholesome acts may result to pregnancy which would have to be aborted to avoid ‘’shame’’ to the host family.
The economic situation in the country has made many indigent parents to look for ways of unburdening their responsibilities to their children. One way of doing this is to encourage some of their children to stay with their relatives or even non-relatives, who often maltreat them or turn them to slaves in the family
It is noteworthy that teenage pregnancy, a result of child sexual abuse itself, is a contributory factor to domestic violence as children born in the circumstance mostly end up in wrong hands. There was a case of a baby boy who was abandoned with no one in particular in an apartment where the teenage mother stayed alone when she separated from the father of the child after giving birth but later eloped with a new lover. The little boy was taken up by the landlord until they were able to get the relatives of the baby’s father to take up the child. Another instance is a boy who was abandoned to no one in a rented apartment by a teenage mother and father who separated as a result of irreconcilable religious difference . The child’s survival was left at the mercy of the neighbours. It is heartbreaking that the children abusers are mostly parents, step-parents, relatives and pretentious helper/family friends.
However, there is no doubt that the emotional, physical and sexual abuse being experienced by the Nigerian child has devastating effects on the little ones. The consequences could be short term while some may have lasting effects. Violence on children, if not nipped in the bud, could have serious influence on their future. Physical violence on a child may lead to mental distress, self-harm, run away, suicidal thoughts and drug abuse. Sexual abuse could lead to sexually transmitted disease, unwanted pregnancy, harmful abortion and even death. Emotional violence may lead children to alcohol, use of substances or suicide. The child may become inexplicably anxious and fearful, suffer low esteem, nightmares and stunt development. They also may become violent when they grow up.
Consequently, we all owe it a duty to ensure the safety and security of the Nigerian child while stakeholders, especially the government and child rights non-governmental organisations must ensure that reported cases of child abuse are diligently prosecuted to serve as a deterrent to would-be violators. Families should limit themselves to the number of children they can take care of to prevent flinging their wards all over the place and prevent teenage pregnancy that largely gives birth to child abuse. We must also report any child abuse cases to the appropriate governmental and NGOs for appropriate action.
