Nigeria (Common Wealth) _According to UNICEF, “Nigeria has the highest number of child brides in Africa, with over 23 million girls and women married as children, the majority of whom come from poor and rural communities.”
While data show a 9% decrease in the prevalence of child marriage since 2003, with a further 6% decrease projected by 2030, Nigeria’s rapid population growth means that the number of child brides will actually increase by more than one million by 2030, and double by 2050, according to the report.
According to UNICEF, six out of every ten children in Nigeria are subjected to emotional, physical, or sexual abuse before the age of 18, with half of those victims physical violence.
Many Nigerian children face abuse in many ways on a regular basis, and only a small percentage receive care. It went on to say that six out of every ten children are victims of some kind of violence, with one out of every four girls and 10% of boys victims of sexual violence.
Fewer than five out of every hundred children who reported violence received any type of assistance. The causes of violence against children (VAC) are entrenched in social norms, such as the use of violent discipline, violence against women, and community beliefs about witchcraft, all of which heighten the vulnerability of children.
While data show a 9% decrease in the prevalence of child marriage since 2003, with a further 6% decrease projected by 2030, Nigeria’s rapid population growth means that the number of child brides will actually increase by more than one million by 2030, and double by 2050,” it said.
Mrs. Mary-Maudline Nwifuru, the First Lady of Ebonyi State, has urged mothers in the state to protect their children from child abuse and other types of domestic violence. She stated that it was the responsibility of all moms to safeguard the safety of every child around them, emphasizing that they should train their children themselves rather than sending them out of the state for training.
This counsel was given by the governor’s wife to women and youths at the start of the 2023 August meeting of Ebonyi women in the state. Nwifuru also urged moms to be cautious and aggressive in protecting their children. As the First Lady of Ebonyi State, my message to all mothers has been to train their children themselves rather than sending them out of the state to be trained by others. This results in many sorts of child abuse and human trafficking.
Ebonyi children must be protected from such danger, thus we must protect and train them ourselves. As a state, we will work to ensure that no child is left behind. We will invest in education, healthcare, and social support systems to help women and families establish a nurturing and safe environment for their children to thrive, she said.
Earlier, the State’s Deputy Governor, Mrs. Patricia Obila, urged mothers to limit the kind of work and activities their children participate in in order to reduce crime in society.
Despite the fact that child abuse occurs in Nigeria, little attention has been paid to it. This is most likely due to the emphasis on more frequent kid issues such as hunger and illness. Another plausible explanation is that in African countries, it is often assumed that the extended family system always provides love, care, and protection to all children.
However, there are some traditional child-rearing approaches that are harmful to some children, such as in some rural places, for example, severely deformed children are purposefully neglected or abandoned, as are twins or triplets. Better legal protection for handicapped children is required, as is increased awareness of the presence of child abuse in the community by health and social workers.
