INCREASING CASES OF CHILD ABUSE IN THE SOCIETY: CAUSES, CONSEQUENCES AND SOLUTIONS

One of the blessings of marriage is ‘child’. Every married couple prays to have a child that can immortalize their names and uplift their status in the society in future. It is one thing for a couple to be blessed with child after marriage, it is however another thing for such child to grow up to the level that he / she can be useful to himself  / herself and be able to perform the roles expected of him / her in the family and society.

Over the years, cases of child abuse are prevalent in many countries in the world, particularly in African continent and reported in newspapers, radio and television. It has been a cause of concern and worry to government of the concerned countries. What constitutes child abuse can be understood from its component words. Child abuse is a synergy of two words: ‘child’ and ‘abuse’. Oxford Advanced Learners Dictionary of English defines ‘abuse’ as ‘the act of making a bad or wrong use of something’. Child abuse is thus the act of using child in a bad or wrong way.

Child abuse has wider scope in the society including the act of:

-                     trafficking of child (ren) by some individuals in the society;

-                     making use of child as housemaid thus subjecting him / her  to different inhuman treatments;

-                     making use of a child to sell goods, foodstuffs and other items in the open market and along the streets ,thus exposing him / her to hazards like accident, bad weather and kidnapping;

-                     illicit relationship of male teacher(s) with female pupil / student in school to the extent of having sexual *********** with him / her;

-                     making use of a child for ritual and during ritual rites in the society. In some countries in Africa, virgin female children are used for celebration of some annual traditional festivals and rituals. In most cases, parts of the body of such children like breast, waist are exposed;

-                     putting tribal marks on the face of a child at a tender age thus subjecting him / her to severe pain;

-                     making use of a child as political thug during electoral campaigns and other political activities;

-                     circumcision of female child at a tender age (which is prevalent in African countries) thus subjecting him / her to severe pain in the reproductive organ;

-                     luring female child into prostitution by wealthy male (s) in the society. In some countries, female children are usually recruited for prostitution by traffickers with the promise of jobs in foreign countries;

-                     engaging pupil / student in different kinds of extra curricular and unapproved  errands and other activities in the school like farming, selling, washing of clothes by teachers;

-                     Over-flogging of a child by teacher(s) in school and by parents / guardians at home.

The prevailing cases of cases of child abuse in the society nowadays are traceable to several factors, one of these being poverty. It is obvious that the society is now poverty ridden as many households and families are living below standard in many countries in the world. The need to make additional income for their sustenance makes many families to engaging their children in the act selling of goods and other items. In some African countries, it is a norm that pupils / students must sell goods and other items after school period to raise money for the family and for their education.

There is no doubt that the value system of most countries today favour wealth making at all cost and by whatever means. It is thus not surprising that many people are now desperate to make money. Some people do resort to rituals to achieve their goal and make use of children in the process. A society where wealthy individuals are worshipped while the poor are scorned cannot but record cases of child abuse.

            Inability of government to enforce strict disciplinary measure against those involved in the act is further encouraging it. In most countries, cases of child abuse are only reported in the media while leaving the culprits to be celebrated and worshipped in the society rather than being reprimanded to serve as deterrent to others.

It has been observed that high cost of education discourages many parents from enrolling their children in school while also encouraging many pupils / students to drop out of school prematurely. In Northern part of Nigeria as example, many school-going age children termed ‘almajiris’ roam along the streets today begging for food, clothes and other necessaries. These un-educated and hopeless children are often recruited as thugs during riots, political campaigns and religious protests while some are used for rituals.

There is no doubt that peaceful co-existence of couple is imperative for the dividends of marriage are to be enjoyed. When there is conflict between couple however, this can lead to separation and divorce. Observation reveals that children from broken home lack adequate parental care. Such children are usually separated from their father and open to social vices like stealing, armed robbery, thurgery, prostitution to keep the body and soul together and keep themselves busy. It is thus not surprising that at the point of death, many armed robbers had confessed that they took to robbery due to neglect by their parents. Many children from broken homes also end up as housemaids in other households and as street children who sleep under the bridge and along the major streets in the society.

            A biblical passage goes: ‘teach your child the way he / she should go and when he / she is old would not depart from it’. In some countries, couples are over absorbed by their work or business to the extent that they do not show much concern for their children. In those families, care of children is entrusted to the housemaid who in most cases finds it difficult to correct the wrong doings of the children for fear of being sacked by their master.

            There is no gainsaying the fact that in many nations of the world today, issue of unemployment of youths is a major concern of the leaders. Most of the outputs of educational institutions in many countries in the world today are unemployed.  Many of these unemployed youths are easily recruited into prostitution in the society because ‘Devil usually finds work for idle hands’. Child traffickers through the promise of jobs in oversea countries easily deceive many of the female unemployed youths. Over the years, countries in Africa have been characterized by poor economy thus making many households to be poor while also encouraging the exodus of youths to foreign countries in search of opportunities to make money. In the process, child traffickers deceive them.

In some countries, it has been a habit for teachers to make use of pupils / students for activities like farming, trading, washing of clothes, cooking, among others. Some male teachers are often involved in illicit relationship with their female pupils / students to the extent of having sexual affair with them in exchange for marks, money and other gifts.

            Cultural factor in some countries further plays significant role in child abuse. In some African countries like Nigeria, female children are circumcised while tribal marks are put on the face, hands and chest of children at tender age for recognition in the future. In some countries where democracy is at infancy stage, politicians engage children as thugs for their selfish interests.

            The issue of child abuse has many negative consequences. It causes premature death of children. Many of the teenage children that sell goods along the streets die off through rituals and accident while many usually suffer from sickness / illness due to over exposure to bad weather.

Many of the cases of teenage pregnancy are traceable to teacher / pupil / student relationship in school thus encouraging over-population in the society because many babies are born without adequate resources to cater for them. Cases of social vices like armed robbery, prostitution, terrorism, stealing, thugery and others in many nations in the world today, can be linked with child abuse.

            A country where child abuse is prevalent has low status among the comity of nations while the citizens are treated as ‘pariah’ among their colleagues at international level. Abused child has low emotion because most of them are usually not happy with their situation. They feel inferior among their colleagues in the society.

At present, many nations in the world are working towards achieving ‘Education for All’ and ‘Millennium Development Goals’, having realized the roles of Education towards their development. Issue of child abuse undermines enrolment in schools and encourages dropping out thus undermining the realization of these objectives.

            Stakeholders of Education including government, parents / guardians. Institutions’ administrators have roles to play to ensure that the menace of child abuse is eradicated in view of its negative consequences. There is therefore the need for parents to be alive to their responsibilities at the home setting. They should avoid indulging their children in street selling of goods and other items and should always educate them on the dangers inherent in premarital ***.

            Government of those countries without anti child abuse law should enact this while those having such law should enforce it to serve as deterrent to others and should continue to promote anti child abuse activities in the society by sponsoring workshops, lectures, conferences and symposiums on the menace.

There should be proper orientation of youths in the society against the negative effects of child abuse in the print and news media educational institutions’ administrators should be alive to their responsibilities in their respective institutions.

Government should provide more jobs for the youths who are easily deceived by child traffickers in the society. In as much as white collar job cannot be provided for every youths in the society, government should empower more youths through skill acquisition training and provide loan for the youths to establish small scale or cottage industries. Private sector should assist government in the provision of jobs by establishing companies and business outfits in the society.

            There is need for the improvement of the economy of countries in he world so as to discourage the massive drifts of youths in less developed to the developed countries to search for opportunities and make more income which have been opening them to agents of trafficking and other social vices.

Parents should continue to give proper moral training to their children to be able to grow up and be useful to the family and their society.

By: Ige Akindele Matthew

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