CHILD ABUSE IN NIGERIA

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Child abuse is any act of neglect, maltreatment or abuse either physically, psychologically, emotionally, sexually and otherwise.

Child abuse is very rampant in our society today especially in African countries, Nigeria is not an exception.
Basically,I would be talking on the causes of child abuse and how to prevent it especially in our country Nigeria and in the whole world at large.

CAUSES OF CHILD ABUSE

Growing up as a Nigerian I have encountered children that have been abused physically, sexually and emotionally.
This made me to sit back and think and come up with the following causes;

EARLY MARRIAGE

This abuse affects both genders but it's rampant amongst the female fold.

In the male fold, when a young boy that is rarely up to the age of marriage impregnate a girl usually of the same age the parents of the girl or in certain circumstances the both parents will organize marriage for the both of them subjecting the boy child to hard labour in order to Carter for the said wife leading him to psychological and emotional abuse.

This will make the boy child not to chase his dreams as he has been forced to early marriage and to become the bread winner of a family at such an early age.

In the female fold,the major cause of this abuse is the parents of the said girl.
They do this because of love of money and lack of formal education.

Here the parents or guardians of the girl child give their daughter hand in marriage at a very tender age there by subjecting her to the burden of pregnancy which usually leads to unsuccessful marriage and divorce at the long run.

EXPOSING THE CHILDREN

There is this adage that says "Like father like Son" and "Like mother like daughter".

The practical truth is that children learns faster from their older ones based on what they hear and see.

Parents or guardians who are involved in immoral and toxic lifestyle like smoking, drinking, prostitution will eventually initiate their children or wards,this is because they would send them to buy cigarettes, alcoholic drinks, contraceptives thereby gladly exposing and teaching them that same lifestyle.

IGNORANCE

There are parents, guardians or caregivers who are ignorant of the basic emotional, special needs and adequate nuturing of a child due to the way they were brought up by their own parents.

FINANCIAL PROBLEM

Lack of money and economic melt down in our country Nigeria has made parents and guardians to subject their children and wards to hawking of different goods in the market and on the road sides.
This has lead to exposing them especially the girl fold to irresponsible men who will lure them with money there by having sex with them which the end result is usually unwanted pregnancy and sexual transmitted diseases.

LACK OF EDUCATION

Education is of paramount important to every child as it equips them to fit into the society and compete with their counterpart in the world at large.

When this is denied and not given to them it leaves them with no choice than turning them to street hawkers,beggars, housemaids and garage boys.

STRESSED PARENTS

When a parent is physically and emotionally stressed the possibility of them abusing the child is much.
This is because they lack emotional support themselves and they end up transferring their aggressions to their children.

PREVENTION OF CHILD ABUSE

Every problem has a solution.
As we have discussed above we all know and understood what child abuse is and we were also able to identify the causes of child abuse.
To find the solution of every problem one have to firstly identity the root cause of such problem.

Here, our problem is child abuse and we have found the causes of child abuse so therefore what we need is solutions to the causes of child abuse in order to prevent it.

The solutions to the causes are as follows;

DISCOURAGE EARLY MARRIAGE

Parents and guardians should discourage early and child marriage at all cost.

MORAL UP-BRINGING

Every child should have right to moral up bringing not minding if their parents live immoral life.

Parents and guardians should try as much as possible to keep away every immoral life from their children.

EMBRACING CHANGE

Parents and guardians who were brought up in a very bad environment should first and foremost council themselves and embrace the change and give their children a better lifestyle.
Besides every parents prays and hopes their children do more better than them.

MULTIPLE SOURCE OF INCOME

Parents and guardians should source for more income generating jobs and join hands together and take care of their children instead of subjecting them to hawking and the streets.

EVERY CHILD SHOULD BE EDUCATED

Parents should embrace family planning and give birth to the number of children they can Carter for so that they would be able to send all there children to school.

PARENTS SHOULD CREATE A LEISURE TIME

In as much as the parents should work hard to Carter for the children they should also create a spare time to rest and have fun with their children this will go a very long way in reducing there stress and make them take care of there children emotional and psychological needs.

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