Tackling Violence Against Children In Nigeria‎

Witnessing violence can have similar effects on children cognitive, behavioural and social development as experiencing violence.

The Violence Against Children Survey (VACS), which ‎covered all States in Nigeria‎ and met internationally accepted standards of household sampling, was also carried out in Swaziland, Tanzania, Kenya, Haiti, Cambodia, Indonesia and Malawi for the purpose of the Nigeria VACS.

The VACS ‎defined physical act of violence as punching (hitting with the fist), kicking, whipping, hitting with an object, choking, smothering, trying to drown, burning intentionally or using or threatening to use a gun, knife or other weapon regardless of whether or not it resulted in obvious physical or mental injury.

However, the VACS did not focus on acts of ‎corporal punishment, although many of those perpetrating the violence may be doing so in the name of ‘discipline’.

For sexual violence, it is described as ‎all forms of sexual abuse or exploitation which encompasses a range of acts, including unwanted completed sex acts (such as rape), attempted non- consensual sex acts, abusive sexual contact (such as unwanted touching), pressured sex (such as through threats and tricks) by any person regardless of the relationship with the child experiencing the violence, in any setting.

While ‎emotional violence is defined as being ridiculed or put down by parent, adult care giver or adult relative, being told by them that they were unloved or did not deserve to be loved or someone wished they were dead or had never been born.

Violence is rarely an isolated incident as majority of children who experience physical, sexual or emotional violence in childhood do so on multiple occasions and it includes 80 percent physical, 70 percent sexual and 80 percent emotional violence.

However, children often experience more than one type of violence either at same time or at different points in childhood.

Girls are most likely to experience both sexual and physical violence than other combinations of violence while boys are likely to experience physical and emotional violence than other combinations of violence. ‎‎

Going by the methodology used in the survey, a total of 4203 (1766 females and 2437 males) individuals aged 13 to 24 years participated in the 2014 Nigeria VACS.

The age group13 to 24 were separated into ‎two age sub-groups for analysis comprising of 13 to 17 and 18 to 24 age groups. ‎The 13 to 17 age group yielded information on events occurring in the past 12 months preceding the survey.

Life time prevalence of childhood violence were based on responses ‎from participants aged 18 to 24 reporting on their experiences prior to the age of 18.

According to the VACS findings, physical violence in childhood was the most common type of violence reported. Approximately, half of females and males experienced physical violence with over 80 percent multiple incidents and over half had the first experience between ages 8 to 11, approximately, one in 10 children first experienced it at age five.

It was reported that one in four females and one in 10 males experienced ‎sexual violence in childhood which is ‎approximately 70 percent of males and females who had experienced sexual violence reported more than one incident. Almost half of males and females reported to have experience sexual violence occurred before the age of 16. A third of female experienced the first incident between age 14 and 15 while same with male was 13years and younger.

One in six female and one in five males reported emotional violence in childhood with over 80 percent experiencing ‎multiple incidents as well as almost half of all male and female experienced the first incident before age 12.

‎The data on health and social outcomes reported by those who experienced sexual, physical and emotional violence in childhood compared to those who did not experience such violence, clearly demonstrates that Violence Against Children, (VAC) in Nigeria is linked to poorer mental and physical health outcomes for females and males.

Furthermore, it is also associated with increased risk for subsequent sexual risk-taking behaviour and the propensity for children to use violence against their intimate partners both during childhood and adulthood.

When contacted by our correspondent, the United Nations Children’s Fund, (UNICEF) Child Right Specialist, Mrs Sharon Oladiji ‎advised ‎that, “parents and care givers to be watchful at all times especially with that male uncle to your child. Watch the closeness, if your child is comfortable or not.

“‎Parents through the education sector should promote sensitization and awareness of violence against children through School Based Management Committees (SBMCs), teachers, parents association and the community at large.‎”

Speaking on the part of government, she said the community structures that promote child protection, including community improvement teams, child protection committees, and school based management committee should be strengthened as well as church and mosque leaders should provide support to parents in bringing up their children, especially the care and protection of particularly vulnerable children through sermons and religious, humanitarian activities.

Oladiji also calls on “Civil Society Organizations, (CSO’s) to deliver programs on sensitization, awareness, raising campaigns on child rights which will engage school children, care givers and parents on how to deal with and curb VAC.

‎”Media men and women should develop messages combating violence against children that will influence society to challenge harmful practices, and promote social norms that care for and protect children, actively seek out reported cases and issues of violence against children and appropriately follow up to promote justice and protection for children.

“Mobilize communities to support and bring perpetrators to account through the justice system and non- traditional sectors. Engage recognised religious and traditional rulers to speak out against violence pose to children,” she stressed.

On how feasible to bringing VAC to an end by 2030 in Nigeria, the Child Right Specialist said all stakeholder must be involve including the government and Nigeria Police Force to implement the “Speak Out!” communications campaign and encourage reporting to the police justice sector.

She said there should be an established complaints mechanisms for children to report violations and to punish perpetrators, adding that CSO’s should create and promote safe spaces like children’s clubs, youth clubs, and child parliaments for children in communities to speak out.

“The media also has a lot to do. Awareness messages should be created to enlighten people on the available social-welfare and child-protection services, including existing hot lines and short codes. All in the civil society breaks the yoke of silence over violence and use the social media to blow the whistle on perpetrators and follow through until they are punished to deter others and may be, by God’s grace, we can end VAC by 2030. Ministry of Health incorporate topics on VAC into the curriculum of health care workers and ensure identification of and response to VAC is incorporated as part of routine health services.”‎

To achieve the total elimination of VAC in our society‎, we need to break the barriers to accessing help at State and community level in order to support programme designed and planned to bridge the cycle of violence and ensure that children can access the help they need to recover.