Child abuse is when a parent or
caregiver, whether through action or failing to act, causes injury, death,
emotional harm or risk of serious harm to a child. There are many forms of
child maltreatment, including neglect, physical abuse, sexual abuse,
exploitation and emotional abuse.
Child abuse could be referred to
the act of maltreating, a child. Maltreatment of child could be in the form of
physical, sexual neglect or emotional abuse of the child. These abuses usually
occur at home, school or community.
In some developed countries, the
prevention of child abuse is among their top priority and this issue is
addressed with strict laws and policies that help to curtail it. Different
bodies have also specified their opinion of what constitutes child abuse.
According to a journal of child
abuse neglect child abuse “is any recent act of failure to act on the part of a
parent or caretaker which results in death, serious physical or emotional harm,
sexual abuse or exploitation, an act of failure to act which presents an
imminent risk of serious harm”.
Physically abusing a child
usually involves a direct physical aggression towards a child. Most countries
that implement the law of child abuse consider the intentional infliction of
severe injuries or action that has a tendency of placing a child at a
conspicuous risk of acquiring serious injuries or may cause death, bruises,
scratches, broken bones etc as physical abuse.
Similarly involvement of a child
in sexual activities, which is aimed towards physical gratification or for
financial purpose of the person committing the act could be referred to as sexual
abuse. The various ways of abusing a child could be forcing, or asking a child
for sexual satisfaction, not withstanding the outcome, sexual touching of the
child’s genitals, exposing one’s genitals indecently to a child, actual sexual
contact with a child etc.
Often times those who are
involved in sexual abuse of children are usually related to the family or
regarded as family friends. They include brothers, fathers, mothers uncles,
cousins, friends of the family and often times baby sitters and neighbours with
few cases of strangers.
Another aspect of child abuse is
neglecting. Failure of a parent or guardian to provide the basic needs of a
child could also be considered as child abuse. Needs such as food, shelter,
clothing, medical care, supervision of the child’s health and safety of child
are the sole responsibility of the parents or guardan.
When a child is frequently absent
from school, always looking unkept, and lacks sufficient clothings, it is a
clear indication that the child is being neglected which could be associated
with child abuse.
Another obvious factor of child
abuse which is commonly found on the streets of our beloved country Nigeria is
children hawking wares. Experts have referred to these acts of child
molestation as child labour.
Many parents send their children
to hawk ware for various reasons ranging from poverty, tradition and
supplementing family income among others.
However, these reasons expose
them to dangers which are particularly worse if they are females. In some
communities only girls hawk, while their parents and male children stay at
home.
These children leave home as
early as 6. am and most times return as late as 11.pm. They hawk under all
kinds of weather condition.
Some of them whose guardians or
parents beat and starve for not making enough sales even hawk in the rain.
The fact that some of the
children hawk in groups has not apparently reduced the problems and dangers
they encounter on daily basis. They are always looking tired, worn out, hungry
with torn clothes. Their shoulders always drooping and hunched, barely able to
lift their feet.
They are so unfortunately poor
and cannot even afford to go to school except in the form of roaming about with
their wares.
They shuffle around like acrobats
in and out of traffic, motor parks, road junctions, public offices, market
places and schools.
They have potentials, but
unfortunately they seldom get around to realise their potentials. Except maybe
as hired thugs to politicians or militants. The lucky ones will graduate into big
time touts, bus conductor, and small-time pick pockets. The not-so-lucky ones,
however, will become drug peddle, prostitutes, arm nobbes and social mis-fits
in the society.
Sick perverts capitalize on this
accepted practice o f street trading to carry out their dubious plans against
innocent looking children. They lure these unsuspecting traders to their house
with the pretext of patronising them. Minutes later the innocent girl is
sexually assured and threats of punishment would silence them from shouting
out.
The consequences of these sick
acts are usually unwanted pregnancy, sexually transmitted diseases,
psychological breakdown and the fear of men.
A category of people like poor
parents, women with lazy husbands who do not provide for the family, widows,
widowers, sick and disabled parents with able children feel they should not be
blamed for sending their children hawking because they are helpless.
But there are other ways children
can help mum and dad in the family other than hawking wares for them. No parent
should use their conditions as an excuse to resort to sending their underage
children out on the ever dangerous street to hawk. Who really benefits from it?
In some homes the parents sit at
home all day doing nothing and live on the profit from what their children have
produced. Some guardians or step parents derive pleasure or make it a hobby to
send children hawking, even when they can comfortably provide for their family.
It is the responsibility of every
parent or guardian to protect and promote the education and welfare of their
children and ward. They should not use their children for commercial activities
no matters how poor they are.
This is because it exposes them
to violence and other social ills such as accidents, kidnapping and rape.
Parents should be re-oriented
towards accepting their responsibilities of taking care of their families. When
parents accept their responsibilities of taking care of their children, there
would be no need for children to hawk.
Now....is the above mention commonly
found in Bassaland??
The Bassa chapter of the African
Network for the Prevention and Protection Against Child Abuse and Neglect
conducted a nationwide study to acquire an overview of the nature and extent of
child abuse and neglect in Bassaland. The 3-part study assessed the density of
children working on the streets and the attitudes of adults and children
related to child abuse and neglect. Counts of working street youths under age
16 years and respondent attitudes were assessed in Gwagwalada/Kwali,
Abaji/Ugya, and Ibadan. The densities of street children and questionnaire
responses from sampled adults suggest that child abuse and neglect are serious
problems in Bassaland; cultural practices and traditional attitudes contribute
to the problem; institutions tasked with addressing family and child welfare
have failed to do so; hawking, begging, and abandonment place these children at
risk; and some handicapped children roam the streets without care. School
children were surveyed to provide information on their before- and after-school
chores, their views on physical punishment by parents and teachers, and their
nutritional standards. 94% received three meals/day; 52% typically spent 2-4
hours after school in domestic chores such as sweeping the house, washing
dishes, and preparing evening meals; and many were either scolded, beaten, or
assigned additional household duties as punishment for behaving contrary to the
desires of adults. Am I speaking your mind??
Mr. Zatty Explained more here:
Child abuse is defined as the wilful and unjustifiable infliction of
pain and suffering on children. It can take many different forms. These not
only include sexual and physical abuse, but also emotional abuse and neglect.
THERE ARE FIVE DOCUMENTED TYPES OF CHILD ABUSE:
Emotional abuse
Emotional abuse is a chronic pattern of behaviour such as belittling,
humiliating and ridiculing a child. It is also the consistent failure of
parents or caretakers to provide a child with appropriate support, attention
and affection.
Emotional neglect
Emotional neglect is the consistent failure of parents or caretakers
to provide a child with appropriate support, attention and affection.
Physical neglect
Physical neglect is the failure
to provide children with adequate food, clothing, shelter and medical care.
Physical neglect also includes abandonment, expulsion from home and failure to
enrol children in school. It is important to distinguish between wilful neglect
and a parent’s failure to provide the necessities of life cause of poverty and
cultural norms.
Physical abuse
Physical abuse is defined as acts
of physical assault by parents, caretakers or strangers. Physical abuse
includes: cuts, fractures, bruises, shaking, burns and internal injuries.
Sexual abuse
Sexual abuse is defined as acts of sexual assault and sexual
exploitation of minors by parents, caregivers or strangers. It may consist of a
single incident or many incidents over a long period of time. It includes
fondling a child’s genitals, intercourse, incest, rape, sodomy exhibitionism
and sexual exploitation.
Mr. Zatty further more by
explaining the child trafficking as this below
We live in a dangerous world, where nobody is safe, particularly the
small fragile children. Violence against children is the violation against
children's rights, and it should not be tolerated. Learn more about violence
against children in Bassa nation and the ways of preventing it.
Key facts about violence against
children in Bassa.
Violence against children comes
in all shapes and forms. It can be emotional violence, the extent of which is
hurtful words from other people. It can be physical violence, which can be
anything: from light shoves to heavy punches, slaps or assaults with weapons.
It can even be sexual violence, which includes sexual abuse and exploitation.
It would probably not be
surprising, but some Bassa state is a very dangerous place if you are a child.
Violence awaits almost on every corner. Here are a few facts you need to know
about violence against children in Bassaland:
6 out of 10 kids experience
violence in one form or another during their childhood.
1 out of 10 boys and 1 out of 4
girls experience sexual violence; one in two children experiences physical
violence; one in every five children experiences emotional violence.
Most instances of violence
against children are not isolated; children often experience violence more than
once.
Most children experience violence
for the first time when they are between 6 and 11 years old.
The most common assailants are
the children’s parents or closest older relatives. Among other frequent
perpetrators are male teachers, neighbours, romantic partners and classmates.
Less than half of the children
who experience violence go to someone for help. In cases of sexual violence,
the number is even smaller (as low as 5%). Most children have no idea who to
turn to in case someone hurts them.
It is obvious that many Bassas children
suffer from violence. But what effect does it have on them? Find out below.
The effect of violence on
children
Violence can seriously influence
the children’s future and their everyday lives. Physical violence may lead to
mental distress, self-harm, suicidal thoughts and substance abuse. In some
cases, it might even result in an STI (sexually transmitted infection).
Sexual violence has similar
effects to physical violence. However, in addition to those, it can also result
in an unwanted pregnancy, which might be a large problem in itself. Emotional
violence usually pushes children towards alcohol or even suicide.
When people think about the
effects of violence against children, they often do not consider how domestic
violence affects children's development. Even if the child is a witness of
domestic violence, they can become scarred for the rest of their lives.
Younger children tend to get more
anxious because of domestic violence. They throw tantrums, wet their beds at
nights and complain about the tummy aches. It might also be hard for them to
let go of their ‘nicer’ parent when it is time to go to school.
Older kids have different
reactions. Some might become more disobedient and aggressive, while others
might become quiet and withdrawn. Their self-esteem can significantly worsen,
and they might choose a similarly abusive partner in the future. Many abused kids
turn to illegal substances and alcohol to cope with their trauma.
Many children that have suffered
from domestic violence might have a post-traumatic stress disorder (or PTSD).
It can manifest through flashbacks, nightmares of even physical pains. They also
do not do very well at school. Their grades usually go down, and their
behaviour worsens.
As children are very fragile,
violence against them can have some adverse effects on their development. But
how can we protect them? Let’s consider this question.
How we can prevent violence in
children’s lives.
Girl child education in
Bassaland: problems and prospects as we have said before, violence can
occur both inside and outside the house. Therefore, the ways of preventing it
are different for each case.
When it comes to violence against
children from someone outside their family, the following actions can prevent
it:
Providing children with
pre-school enrichment programs that can give them a head start in their
education.
Offering training on life skills,
including how to behave oneself in a community.
Helping children to stay in
school with financial assistance and support.
Reducing the availability of
alcohol and illicit substances.
Restricting the access to
weapons, including firearms.
If you feel like preventive
methods are not enough, you can also consider a few ways of protecting your
child. Never let them hang around strangers, no matter how nice they might
seem. Always know where your child is going and with whom.
Invest in some self-defence
classes and teach your kids to always carry their phones around with them
anywhere they go and call any of the emergency numbers in case of trouble. Have
a curfew set up and try to take your child to and from school, if you have that
option.
Talk to your kids, offer a safe
environment for them, so that they can open up about the things in their lives.
You can find out about any possible violence against your child if you just
talk to them. Of course, you cannot save them from everything, but you can at
least do your best.
Things get a little bit more
complicated when it comes to preventing domestic violence against kids, as the
assailants are the people closest to them. However, there are a few ways of
preventing it:
Quite often parents hurt their
children, who are the result of unwanted pregnancies. Therefore, it would make
sense to work towards reducing the amount of unintended pregnancies.
Another way to deal with a
problem like this is reducing the access to alcohol and harmful substances.
Sober parents are less inclined to hurt their children.
Social services (home
visitations, doctors’ consultations) for families at risk can often prevent
violence against children and help the family to get back on the right track.
Parents should also have the
opportunity to learn more about parenting at parenting classes. They can learn
about the non-violent methods of upbringing and problem solving.
All in all, violence against
children is a very serious topic that often ends up forgotten. We can never
forget about the safety of our kids. We hope that one day we will be able to
live in a more or less peaceful world, where every child is safe and happy.
Until then, we need to protect these precious beings from harm in any way we
can.
In 2012, a global survey by The
Economist Intelligence Unit rated Nasarawa Toto Local government as one of the
worst State in the world for children or for a child to be born. Several reports,
some of which I will reference in this piece to buttress the precarious
condition the Bassa children are facing in the country today, have confirmed
the horrible conditions and dangers the Bassa child continues to face.
One of such hazards faced by the
typical Bassa child, among several others, made the headlines a few days ago.
According to a report in The PUNCH, a nine- year- old boy, Sumantani Dogwo, was
discovered in hunger punishment by security operatives on the premises of a
school in Nasarawa State. Sumantani had been in hunger punishment for days, it
was found out.
The strange part of the report
was that the boy was locked in by his biological father. The victim ’s father,
Dogwo Rizoma, was said to be a Business man. Sumantani narrated his harrowing
experience thus: “I was not fed regularly when I was locked. My father and my
step- mother only fed me once a day. Some days, I was not given any food. I
want to go back to school because I want to be a Pilot in the future. I also do
not want to go back to my father’ s house.”
Reading about the inhuman and
degrading treatment meted out to this minor is heart-breaking. Sumantani had
been said to be a truant who stole food items in order to feed himself having
been denied the same by his step-mother. His penchant for stealing to feed
himself had been interpreted to mean that he was possessed by a diabolic spirit.
He was subsequently incarcerated and locked in a lonely room for days.
The boy’s confession about his
ordeal points to a larger issue of poverty and child abuse in Bassaland.
Sumantani had narrated further about his ordeal: “It is true that I stole a pot
of soup and bowl of tega in our house. I also stole in the neighbourhood. My
father ’s inability to give money to my step-mother for the upkeep of the
family caused it. But I promise not to go back to my old ways.” Like every Bassa
child, Sumantani had dreams,“ I still want to return to school and be a Pilot”,
he had said.
The story of Sumantani shocking
as it was is the true picture of the plight of the typical Bassa child in
Nasarawa today. While Sumantani’ s case can be considered as shocking, there
have been more horrendous tales of children made to go through inhuman and
degrading treatments by adults and the society that should protect them.
Earlier in the 2016, a widely
reported case of abandonment of a Bassa child saved by Gaube woman shocked the
area. A photo of a Gbagyi woman giving a dehydrated and malnourished child a
drink had captured the imagination of FCT Abuja. Reportedly, the child by name,
Hope, from Kogi State was abandoned by his parents who believed he was a witch.
He had been surviving on the streets for eleven months, feeding on crumbs
thrown at him by passers-by. In January this year, Dabi, a humanitarian worker,
came across the half -starved neglected Hope on the streets of Dabi. She took
Hope to a hospital where he was properly bathed, received treatment for worms
and given blood transfusion.
The stories of Sumantani and Hope
are typical of the Bassa child story – others are over bulk of farm work, heavy
load of fire wood, cooking at early age, concrete work just to mention but a
few. a generation of children serially abused, raped and made to suffer cruel
treatment from adults, parents and guardians who are supposed to care for them.
In recent years, there have been reports of Bassa children who have been
victims of inhuman treatments. In some parts of Bassa states, children are
labelled witches and wizards and subjected to horrific practices. Children are
naturally, by their age, playful and can exhibit truancy when growing up.
But in such communities such
children are said to have diabolical spirits and made to go through “deliverance”
that exposes them cruelty and even death. Bassa children are also being
trafficked, abused and killed daily. In recent years, there have also been
cases of schools being attacked and children abducted and killed by terrorist
groups and bandits.
Bassa children also suffer
malnutrition. According to reports by Children ’s Investment Fund Foundation,
17 .3 million children worldwide suffer from severe acute malnutrition. Also
known as severe wasting, this occurs when a child is so undernourished that
they are at risk of dying. In fact, these children are nine times more likely
to die than a child who has been well -fed and cared for.
Most severely malnourished
children live in Asia and Africa, and are not victims of famine and conflict.
According to the report, Nigeria’ s rates of severe wasting are among the
highest in the world at around 1 .9 million children each year. Incidentally,
one in 10 of all severely wasted children worldwide live in Nigeria.
While this may be considered a
sad situation, another report released last week by UNICEF also paints the
stark condition of the Bassa child. The report which focused on the state of
the Bassa child in the North - central where Fulani headsmen had carried out
attacks on schools, abducted children for ransom and turned them to child
soldiers revealed that just under a quarter of a million children in Bassa
nation’ s Kogi Nasarawa and Benue state, where the insurgency waged by Fulani
headsmen has also disrupted trade and health care, suffer from life
-threatening malnourishment.
The UN children’ s agency had
said that the extent of the nutrition problems faced by children in Nasarawa
State had become clearer as a result of more areas in the northcentral becoming
accessible to humanitarian assistance. By 2017, Fulani headsmen was claimed to
have controlled territory around the size of Belgium in the North -central
until most of it was recaptured last year by the Nigerian Army and troops from
neighbouring countries.
Summary
Child abuse includes any behaviour which
neglects the child’s survival and development needs, causes physical or
emotional injury, or subjects the child to measures, situations and experiences
which interfere with his healthy development. Children in Bassa land are
exposed vulnerably to engage in street/highway hawking, exploitative labour and
domestic help, hard farming, girl-child marriage, illiteracy and female genital
mutilation. The Nigerian government and some Non-Governmental Organizations
(NGOs) have made several efforts to curtail the menace of child abuse in the
country. However, child abuse has persisted, hence the need for Worship centers
to initiate actions against the menace. Worship centres in Bassa land should
take bold steps in addressing the problem of child abuse in our land through
preaching, public sensitization, and establishment of motherless babies’ homes.
Schools should also help in addressing the issues by creating awareness,
sensitization, quality education, parent/Guardians should be vigilant and
watchful with people their children associate with as it might turn out the be
a roaring Lion seeking whom he may devour. The discussion recommends leaders,
elders among others the need for traditional rulers to sanction anybody who are
involved in child abuse; and the need for traditional rulers to collaborate
with government agencies for effective implementation of rehabilitation
programmes for abused children. It is believed that if such measures are taken
the problem of child abuse in Bassaland will be properly addressed.
Okuma!!
By
AGABA ZABUTU (Zatty)
