The Fight against Child Abuse

In Nigeria‚ the topic of child abuse conjures images of sexual abuse and rape. Whilst sexual abuse is a form of child abuse‚ child abuse also takes the form of physical abuse‚ emotional abuse and child neglect. Childhelp.org describes Child abuse as when a parent (or caregiver) whether through action or inaction causes emotional harm‚ injury or death.

The most recent statistics of child abuse in Nigeria reported by UNICEF states that 6 out of 10 children are victims of violent child abuse, 1 in 4 girls are a victim of sexual abuse. 1 in 10 boys are a victim of sexual abuse‚ 1 in 6 girls are victims of sexual abuse whilst in 1 in 5 boys are victims of emotional abuse.

Abuse happens everywhere: homes, schools, and even religious institutions! The perpetrators of this abuse get away with it because even without having to threaten the child, they know the child is too embarrassed to expose them. They know some children don’t even know they are being abused and, they tell them how no one would believe them, not even their parents. And the child believes them.

Children need to be aware of what child abuse is and the forms it takes. They also need to know there are people on their side; people who will listen to them and, most importantly, believe them! In 2019, Chrisland School in Lagos, Nigeria, hired a Senior Advocate of Nigeria to represent a Supervisor in their school, who was facing allegations of raping a 3-year old girl. Some parents felt that there was nothing wrong in the school doing that to protect their interests, when in reality the school was communicating they would believe their employee over a child.

Parents and teachers have a responsibility to not only be listeners‚ but be able to spot the signs of a child in crisis. A vivacious child who is suddenly introverted‚ a dip in school results of a book-smart kid‚ a child that suddenly starts to pick on smaller kids and animals or a child that actively begins to avoid a certain person or place: though sometimes these changes do happen with age‚ they could also be a child’s cry for help and shouldn’t be neglected. As the authority figures in the child’s immediate environment (a child will spend just as much time in school as they would with their parents… even more) both parents and teachers should be attentive

Time‚ isn’t a friend to abused victims. A child who has grown with the emotional starts of abuse rarely just gets over the abuse. They could manage it to the best of their ability but‚ without the right counselling ‚ abused victims either grow into what they feared most- abusers, abusers of others‚ or attract relationships that perpetuate the same abuse.

It’s too late to stop what has happened to these children but, it’s never too late to stop it from happening to any more children. Join us in securing the future of our leaders of tomorrow.