An Appraisal of Child Abuses and Neglect in Nigeria
CHAPTER ONE
Objective of the study
The main objective of the study is to find out the appraisal of child abuse and neglect in Nigeria. The specific objectives are;
- To examine child neglect and effect on the teenagers in Nigeria
- To assess child labour and effect on the teenagers in Nigeria
- To look at child battering and effect on the teenagers in Nigeria
CHAPTER TWO
LITERATURE REVIEW
CHILD ABUSE IN NIGERIA
Definition of the child abuse and neglect
There is no generally accepted definition of child abuse and neglect as a result of differences in the perception of what generally is acceptable as abuse and neglect or not. Agnew (1983) defined child abuse as the intentional, unintentional or well intentional acts which endanger the physical health, emotional, moral and educational welfare of children. Child abuse and neglect can be seen as any act of omission or commission, physical or psychological mistreatment of a child by its parents, guardians, caregiver or other adults that may endanger the child’s physical, psychological or emotional health and . 15 development. In this definition, wrongfully maltreating a child or selfishly making an unfair use of a child’s senses by adults responsible for the child constitutes child abuse. Thus the adult may not be directly related to the child but a person in whose care the child is left can be an abuser. This may include the educators, healthcare workers, day care workers or other responsible adults (Child Welfare Information Gateway, 2008). According to the Department of Justice Canada, the term child abuse and neglect refer to the violence, mistreatment or neglect refer to the violence, mistreatment or neglect that a child or adolescent may experience while in the care of someone they either trust or depend on, such as a parent, sibling, other relatives, caregiver, and child abuse and neglect has devastating consequences for victims. Child abusers inflict physical, sexual and emotional trauma on defenseless children every day. The scars can be deep and long lasting. Okpala (2010) highlighted the forms of child abuse, psychological, emotional abuse, child neglect, child labour/exploitation, child trafficking, street children, child marriage and female genital mutilation.
Factors responsible of child abuse and neglect in Nigeria
Understanding the factors that contribute to child abuse problem will help us frame our own local analytical questions, determine good effectiveness measures, recognize key intervention points, and select appropriate responses Victims Statistics have shown in 2005 that across all types of maltreatment, newborns to three-year-olds had the highest victimization rates and more than half were seven or younger. About half of all victims were boys, and half girls. In America, White and Hispanic children have lower victimization rates than children of other ethnicities. The victims profile is somewhat different depending on the individual type of maltreatment.
Chapter Three
Legal and institutional framework
International framework
UN convention on the right of the child 1989
Considering that, in accordance with the principles proclaimed in the Charter of the United Nations, recognition of the inherent dignity and of the equal and inalienable rights of all members of the human family is the foundation of freedom, justice and peace in the world, Bearing in mind that the peoples of the United Nations have, in the Charter, reaffirmed their faith in fundamental human rights and in the dignity and worth of the human person, and have determined to promote social progress and better standards of life in larger freedom, Recognizing that the United Nations has, in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and in the International Covenants on Human Rights, proclaimed and agreed that everyone is entitled to all the rights and freedoms set forth therein, without distinction of any kind, such as race, colour, sex, language, religion, political or other opinion, national or social origin, property, birth or other status, Recalling that, in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the United Nations has proclaimed that childhood is entitled to special care and assistance, Convinced that the family, as the fundamental group of society and the natural environment for the growth and well-being of all its members and particularly children, should be afforded the necessary protection and assistance so that it can fully assume its responsibilities within the community, Recognizing that the child, for the full and harmonious development of his or her personality, should grow up in a family environment, in an atmosphere of happiness, love and understanding, Considering that the child should be fully prepared to live an individual life in society, and brought up in the spirit of the ideals proclaimed in the Charter of the United Nations, and in particular in the spirit of peace, dignity, tolerance, freedom, equality and solidarity, Bearing in mind that the need to extend particular care to the child has been stated in the Geneva Declaration of the Rights of the Child of 1924 and in the Declaration of the Rights of the Child adopted by the General Assembly on 20 November 1959 and recognized in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, in the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (in particular in articles 23 and 24), in the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (in particular in article 10) and in the statutes and relevant instruments of specialized agencies and international organizations concerned with the welfare of children, Bearing in mind that, as indicated in the Declaration of the Rights of the Child, “the child, by reason of his physical and mental immaturity, needs special safeguards and care, including appropriate legal protection, before as well as after birth”, Recalling the provisions of the Declaration on Social and Legal Principles relating to the Protection and Welfare of Children, with Special Reference to Foster Placement and Adoption Nationally and Internationally; the United Nations Standard Minimum Rules for the Administration of Juvenile Justice (The Beijing Rules); and the Declaration on the Protection of Women and Children in Emergency and Armed Conflict, Recognizing that, in all countries in the world, there are children living in exceptionally difficult conditions, and that such children need special consideration
Chapter Four
Comparative analysis with other jurisdiction
Legal and institutional framework on protection of child right in other jurisdiction
- The Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR): The UDHR which was the first international Human Rights Instrument to be drawn, declares that “All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights.” Article 25(2) of UDHR, provides that motherhood and childhood are entitled to special care and assistance and, all children, whether born in or out of wedlock, shall enjoy the same social protection.
- African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights: The African Charter made only one mention of the word “Child” in its provisions. Article 18 (3)19 provides that States parties should ensure the protection of the rights of the child as stipulated in international declarations and covenants. By this provision, the African Charter effectively endorses internationally accepted principle on Children’s rights including all the provisions on the administration of juvenile justice.
- The African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child (ACRWA) and the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC): These are the two international instruments, which make special provisions for the rights of the child. The ACRWC has been signed and ratified by Nigeria. The highlight of its provisions is that “Every Child has the inherent right to life, and States shall ensure to the maximum child survival and development.
- The National Human Rights Commission: Nigerian’s signature to the United Nations Declaration of Human Rights, puts an obligation on her to disseminate, display, and incorporate human rights in institutions of learning. Nigeria has an obligation to educate children, on human rights as expressed in particular articles of the declaration. To meet up with this obligation, as recommended at the Vienna Conference on Human Rights, the National Human Rights Commission was established in 1996 by the Federal Military Government.
- The Child Rights Act: The Convention on the Rights of the Child enjoins that: State Parties shall undertake to disseminate the Convention’s principles and take all appropriate legislative, administrative and other measures for the implementation of the Rights recognized in the present Convention. Against this background, the Child Rights Act was passed in 2003. The structure of the Act was informed by the mandate to provide a legislation, which incorporates all the rights and responsibilities of children, and which consolidates all laws relating to children in a single legislation. Section 264 (1) of the Act, provides for the establishment of a committee to be known as the State Child Right Implementation Committee (referred to as “State Committee” in the Act) The State Committee has the functions 23to initiate actions that will ensure the observance and popularization of the rights and welfare of the child as provided for in the CRA, CRC, and the AU Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child and the Declaration of the Worlds Summit for Children.
Chapter Five
Summary
This study was designed to investigate the influence of parental socioeconomic status on the incidence of child abuse and neglect. Objectives and research question were made. A comprehensive literature review was carried out to expose the researcher to what has already been done in the area of the study. The literature review was based on the following subheadings:- Concept of child, concept of child abuse, concept of child neglect, theoretical framework, review of empirical studies and summary of literature review. The result of the study revealed that Parents’ level of income significantly influence the incidence of child abuse and neglect. It was also revealed that Parents’ level of education significantly influences the incidence of child abuse and neglect. Furthermore it was discovered that Parents’ occupations significantly influence the incidence of child abuse and neglect. These results were discussed in relation to previous findings of similar studies and the educational implications of the findings were highlighted. Also, recommendations were made and suggestions for further studies were also discussed.
Observation
Parents’ income influences the incidence of child abuse and neglect to a high extent. Parents’ level of education influences the incidence of child abuse and neglect to a high extent Parents’ occupation influences the incidence of child abuse and neglect to a low extent.
Recommendation
It is important that rights be practiced and protected in the school setting. when students know their rights, they are able to define their civil liberties. 2. It is important that children understand both the grounds for disciplinary action, so as to avoid a violation.
- More than any measure, there is the need for mass literacy campaign in the country on the awareness of the fundamental human rights of all citizens the child inclusive.
- It is not out of place to say Nigeria, like other African countries, had reached a stage in development when it must wrestle with the problem of defining its educational goals in terms of its own concept, needs and temperament.
- There is the need for the government to look into the health and little needs of the child along educational attainment. What is meant is that there should be a healthy lunch for children at school before the close of the day. A main meal well supervised daily will keep a child from going begging neighbours for food.
- Poverty drives parents into steering their teenage daughters into work as domestic helps, believing the menial job would secure better living conditions for their daughters. The government should wakeup to its responsibility to provide social amenities, job opportunities and raise the standard of living within Nigeria nation.
- In Nigeria, since it looks like child rights act cannot be endorsed because of certain
Conclusion
Relevance of the knowledge of human rights and fundamental rights of the child to the general welfare of a nation and human rights violation of the child has become of paramount importance in Nigeria. The awareness and legal consequences of the violation of human rights and abuse calls for accountability the world over, as there are legal standard declaration on the right of the child who must not be abused or neglected. Today world leaders the likes of Charles Tailor who violated human rights now face the world court. Although this unaccepted child maltreatment occurs in Nigeria, it has received little attention. This is probably due to the emphasis placed on the more pronounced problems of malnutrition and infection. Others are the African society extended family system where love, care, and protection for the younger and helpless ones are a part of the system. This paper posited that inability of parents/guardians to provide basic necessities for their children/wards exposes them to take to anti-social behaviour and be exposed to social-dangers. Some of the social vices will be related to the government’s inability to provide basic social amenities, lack of job opportunities and falling standard of living in the Nigeria nation. Moreover, lack of legislation to prosecute the abusers makes the NAPTIP unable to take legal action against abusers of the child even when they are arrested. The Child Rights Act which provides for five years jail terms for offenders of child labour is yet to be endorsed by some session of the country because of some clauses in it which have been found controversial by religious and cultural leaders. It is disturbing to observe the wicked trend of using teenager and children as domestic helps which is a form of child labour, with an awareness by the government authority of the provision in the Child Rights Act that deals with the issue of child labour. Therefore, there is no gain saying here that the claim of lack of legislature is just a ruse; it is an excuse to avoid prosecuting offenders because of lack of political will from officials
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