Special children's day post

Creating safe space for our children - our collective responsibility

(dedicated to Nigerian children)

Introduction

Somewhere in Northern Nigeria, a child of about 8 years old was recently seen hawking mangos around 8pm in the night. According to the little boy who was crying, he had not made enough sales since morning, so he doesn't want to return home since the parents will spank him.

Laila was only five when her mother noticed she was in pain while bathing her.  A neighbor had fondled her sexual organs when she went to play with the neighbor’s little daughter, her age mate. The man in question was 42 years old Mr. Abel. It was later discovered that he does the same to his own daughter.

In another incident, 12 years old blessing was rushed to the hospital by neighbors, after she was brutally flogged and wounded by her stepmother for mistakenly braking a glass plate while washing the dishes.

These are just a few example of the regular cases of child abuse we see and hear about in our society. Our environment have proved to be a dangerous place for children. It is either a child is being maltreated and taken advantage of by adults who are supposed to protect them, or they are being deprived access to important rights that are necessary for their sound  growth and development, like the right to education.

Although majority of us frown at this reoccurring trend, it doesn’t look like something that is going to end soon. What can the government, parents, schools and everyone else do to provide a safer environment where our children can grow and thrive?

Statement of the problem

Shocking news and happenings around us, such as the ones mentioned earlier clearly show that our country is not safe and protective enough to children and their welfare. Children suffer from various forms of abuse such as child marriages, molestation, child labour, kidnapping, and neglect, among other forms. Many laws and policies have been put into place with the purpose of protecting children from abuse. However, they have not been effective for many reasons including poor enforcement mechanisms, poverty, corruption, lack of rehabilitation of sexual offenders, negative attitude of parents, and inefficient judicial processes. This essay therefore examines ways we can collectively as a society, make our environment safer for children.

What does it mean to create a safe space for our children?

Creating a safe space for our children means creating an enabling environment where children can grow and thrive. It means ensuring that our society dose not permit or encourage any form of child abuse. It also means protecting the rights of children, where every child have access to quality basic education and all the necessary things they need to develop.

The child rights act

In 2003, Nigeria adopted the Child Rights Act to domesticate the Convention on the Rights of the Child. Although this law was passed at the Federal level, it is only effective if State Assemblies also enact it. To date, only 16 of the country’s 36 States have passed the Act. Intense advocacy continues for the other 20 States to pass it.

Are we doing enough to protect our children?

According to the findings of the 2014 Nigeria Violence Against Children Survey conducted by the National Population Commission with the support of the United States Centre for Disease Control and UNICEF, there is a high prevalence of violence against children in all the states in Nigeria. According to the report, it had been observed that approximately six out of 10 children experience some form of violence and 50 percent of all children in Nigeria experience physical violence.

The survey also noted that one in four girls and one in 10 boys experience sexual violence, while one in six girls and one in five boys experience emotional violence by a parent, caregiver or adult relative.

So on the occasion of this year’s Nigerian Children’s Day, all must take action to end all forms of violence against children. Violence against children is found to be prevalent in all the states in Nigeria. Let us then examine the many forms of abuse and deprivation children face today in our society as a result of actions or inactions on the part of parents, guidance and the government.

Forms of abuse children face that endanger their development and wellbeing

a) Physical Abuse: The World Health Organisation defines what constitute physical abuse of a child as “intentional use of physical forces against the child that results in – or has a high likelihood of resulting in – harm for the child's health, survival, development or dignity”.

b) Sexual Abuse and child marriages: Many children, today, have been put in the family way, some raped, some molested, etc. The result of these different forms of sexual abuse of a child is early marriage, nightmare, damaged and ruptured bladder, insomnia, loss of focus, loss of interest in education, psychological imbalance, emotional disorder, among others.

c) Emotional/Psychological Abuse: Emotional or Psychological Abuse kills the confidence a child have in himself. A child who is  emotionally abused either by verbal words, deprivations or abandonment would grow up into a timid adult who is unable to express himself or herself properly. The child is also likely to develop hatred for his abuser and may live with such anger for a long time. So, parents and guidance need to ensure that they never at any time allow their ward/children go through the pains of both emotional and psychological abuse. Open communication is encouraged.

d) Child Neglect: Child neglect is the failure of a parent or other person(s) responsible for a child to provide needed food, clothing, shelter, medical care, education or supervision for the child’s safety and well-being.

e) Child Labour: Child labour is defined as “any form of work likely to have adverse effects on the child’s safety, health, and moral development”. It refers to work that is mentally, physically, socially, or morally dangerous and harmful to children and that deprives them of the opportunity to attend school.

f) Kidnapping and child trafficking: Kidnapping is the unlawful detainment of persons, either by force or fraud, and the undisclosed relocation against their will. Many children have fallen victim to child trafficking and kidnapping in our society.

What we can do to ensure a safer Nigeria for children

a) Public awareness:  public enlightenment programs should be implemented in order to help correct the misconceptions related to child abuse in Nigeria. Agencies and non-governmental organizations should campaign against harmful cultural practices that are perpetrated against children, particularly female genital mutilation and child marriage.

b) Alleviation of Poverty: Poverty is a menace that must be eradicated; there is a parallel effect on children. The Federal Government should make efforts to facilitate poverty reduction in urban and rural areas by providing basic inputs to enhance people’s livelihood and income.

c) Child Rights Act, 2003: Every state legislature should enact the Child Rights Law following the model of the Child Rights Act of 2003. By enacting the law in all states, the rights and welfare of children will be taken seriously. Adequate funds should also be provided for the appropriate authorities in order to aid in the proper implementation of child rights laws.

d) Sex Offender Treatment Programs: Sometimes, laws which aim to protect children are not fully effective because most sex offenders are psychologically ill and cannot be deterred by imprisonment alone. Prisons, private companies, non-governmental organizations, and individuals can play a helpful role in sex offender treatment in Nigeria.

e) The Role of Parents: In a child’s life, a parent’s role is important in determining whether or not a child will be abused. It is of utmost importance for parents to find time to be with their children in order to provide direction, attention, and supervision. Parents should train and educate their children, and not solely rely on the formal education system to do it for them. Children should be taught about the dangers involved in talking to strangers, and the importance of being careful even with those they are familiar with.

f) Implementation of Laws: Adequate measures should be provided to enforce laws and prosecute child abusers.

g) Good Governance: Good governance is necessary for the prevention of child abuse and exploitation. When the motive of leaders in a country is to loot public funds, the citizens suffer, as their needs will not be met, including children’s.

A collective responsibility

We can only weigh our functionality as a community based on how we protect and empower the most vulnerable amongst us. As we have seen from this essay, everyone have a role to play to ensure that we provide an enabling environment where children cannot be exploited in any way. As humans, it may not be possible to create a twenty-four hours safe, perfect environment. But we can try our best  to foster safety by providing healthy boundaries and guidance while also giving the child permission to be who they are. If we do so, humanity will surely be better as children are the future of tomorrow.

by Kingsley N.