Child abuse is an ugly reality staring Nigeria in the face.
A report by the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) states that abuse in all its forms are a daily reality for many Nigerian children and only a fraction ever receive help.
See link to video:
According to the report six out of every 10 children experience some form of violence – one in four girls and 10 percent of boys have been victims of sexual violence.
Wikipedia, a free, open content online encyclopedia, defines Child abuse or child maltreatment as physical, sexual, and/or psychological maltreatment or neglect of a child or children, especially by a parent or a caregiver.
Furthermore, an excerpt from the Lagos State Safeguarding and Child Protection Policy, defines child as any person under 18 years as provided by the Child’s Rights Law 2007 Laws of Lagos State of Nigeria.
While acknowledging that ‘Neglect’ is the most common form of abuse, the document further states that child protection is the process of protecting individual children identified as either suffering, or likely to suffer, significant harm as a result of abuse or neglect and involves measures and structures designed to prevent and respond to abuse and neglect.
The video shows a minor at about the age of 10 engaged in the job of a bus conductor in Oshodi, one of the rowdy suburbs of Lagos, Nigeria.
Confiance News gathered that the video was shot at 10:33 a.m (West Africa Time) when other children of similar age are preoccupied with their studies in the classroom.
Sadly, this boy is sweating out on the streets, obviously looking for means of survival.
Confiance News recalls that in September 2015, the United Nations (UN) General Assembly adopted the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development that includes 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Goal 3 of the SDGs talks about “Good health and Wellbeing” whereas Goal 4 emphasizes “Quality Education”.
Based on the video, it is quite glaring that the government, community, the parents, guardians and care givers have fallen short of these SDGs.
It is, however, worthy of note that a major principle of the SDGs which is “leaving no one behind”, emphasizes a holistic approach to achieving sustainable development for all. If this is the case, then the government of Lagos State and Nigeria still have a more work in that regard.
Although, there is no gain saying that the state has done a lot in the areas of legislation such as Child’s Rights Law and creation of Ministries Departments and Agencies (MDAs) like the Child Protection Unit of the Ministry of Youth and Social Development aimed to protect the rights of the child, it needs to also consistently review its implementation and monitoring processes.
It is actually not enough to make laws and create Ministries for the aforementioned purpose, there is need to raise the bar after crossing each hurdle if they must achieve the SDGs principle of “Leaving no one behind.”
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