Protect Children Now

Children are the future of the world. Children are the hope of Nigeria. Children are tomorrow’s people. They are the new inspiration. Children, our joy, our pride, our future! Little wonder Nigerians celebrate the arrival of a child with pomp and pageantry. The child’s mother receives many gifts as more and more people gather to care and cook. Where the new baby’s parents’ can boast of wealth, the family rolls out drums to celebrate the bundle of joy. Different cultures have different ways by which they celebrate the best gift ever – children.

With the way we celebrate children at birth, you would think people would never hurt children? But they do… These precious souls soon become subjects of neglect, exploitation and abuse. Hundreds of children die every week from physical and sexual abuse. Many are raped, molested, violated... Even with the Convention on the Rights of the Child, the Child Rights Act and numerous provisions in the best interest of children, 1 in ten children are made to swallow the bitter pill of abuse during childhood. An estimated 34% are neglected, 30% are sexual abused, 28% are physically abused with another 8% suffering various kinds of emotional abuse.

Do you know that the United Nations has estimated the population of street children worldwide at 150 million, with the number rising daily? In Lagos, countless children roam the streets. Sadly, the society have come to accept them and even labelled some of them as “area boys” or “area girls”. Some are on the streets to beg, while others are there to sell or steal. Though some children were driven to the streets by poverty; most had to take refuge on the streets as a result of one form of abuse or another. Some have a place to retire to at night but others have come to accept the street as home. Have you ever asked how they got there?

Street children and thousands of others who remain within but have their minds far away from home, are the defenseless victims of abuse, abject neglect, brutal violence, sexual exploitation and drug addiction. Some end up being murdered by clean up squads hired locally or by police.

Sadly, 90% of children know their abusers. Surprisingly, they are often people who the victim have come to trust - family friend, relation, care giver or even parent! We may need to rethink our customs, beliefs, practices and attitudes that are harmful to children

1 in ten are abused during child hood

“My father used to slap me and beat my mother when I go out to visit friends, he later raped me when my Mum travelled to the village” – Titilayo, 13 years

“My mother abuses me all the time; she said I should have been a boy” – Nneka, 8 years

“My aunty beats me whenever I return home without selling all my plantain. It became too much, one day, I ran away, far away to live on the street.” Amadu, 11 years

Most children are afraid to open up about being abused for fear of reprimand but how can you tell that a child has been sexually abused? The child would have knowledge of sexual intercourse, may have medical problems such as sexually transmitted diseases, react extremely to corrections e.g. run away or attempt suicide, the child would feel insecure and may be wary of known persons.

How can you tell that a child has been physically abused? There would be bruises, usually unexplained, and such a child may refrain from undressing either for medical examination or for games. Other indicators are self destructive tendencies and may be afraid of physical contact.

How can you tell if a child has been neglected? The child would be constantly hungry or may be malnourished, the child may be unkempt, the child may be constantly tired and fall asleep at the slightest comfort, the child may have untreated medical problems and may withdraw from social interaction. Also, the child may become a compulsive scavenger.

A child suffering from emotional abuse would have noticeable physical, mental and emotional development inhibition. The child may begin to stutter or have sudden speech disorder, lack self-appreciation, over reacts to mistakes, respond inappropriately to pain, fear new situations and be extremely passive or extremely aggressive.

If you know any child that is being abused, PLEASE encourage the child to speak to someone, it could be the child’s parent, guardian, friend, mentor, counselor or someone the child can trust. If you know an abuser, the onus is on you to report to the police or via the various Helplines by non-governmental organisations or the Lagos State Ministry of Women Affairs and Poverty Alleviation (WAPA) Helpline – 01.761.7508, 01.730.8112.

The Child Rights Law must be fully implemented and such initiatives as the Yellow Card for Child Abuse must be publicised. Our legislators must begin to talk about prosecuting child rights offenders. There must be serious retributive consequences for those who abuse children. Child abuse should be a criminal offence especially considering that some children carry the negative effect throughout life. Record of child abusers should be published via the media – television, radio, print, internet - to ensure such offenders are prevented from hurting other children.

Parents and guardians must learn to communicate with their children so as to gain their trust as confidants. They must also teach children skills that prevent children from abuse. The National Broadcasting Commission and the Media should take up their roles as stakeholders by ensuring that materials containing adult content are not shown during children’s belt. Any content that celebrates child abuse must not be aired.

In 1976, thousands of black school children took to the streets of Soweto, South Africa. In a march more than half a mile long, they protested the inferior quality of their education and demanded their right to be taught in their own languages. In the two weeks that followed, during what came to be known as the Soweto Uprising, hundreds of innocent people especially young boys and girls were massacred and thousands were injured.

To honour the memory of those who courageously paid the price for the voice of children to be heard, not just in South Africa but across the continent of Africa, the Day of the African Child was initiated by the Organisation of African Unity (now the African Union) and has been celebrated on 16 June every year since 1991.

The Day draws attention to the lives of African children. This year, the Day focuses on the plight of the estimated 30 million "street children" in Africa under the theme of "All Together for Urgent Actions in Favour of Street Children. The 2011 observance of this Day seeks to contribute to widespread awareness of the dangers street children face, promote the taking of urgent steps to protect them and determine strategies for providing effective child protection

As part of Vanguard Newspaper’s 1st Parenting Summit in commemoration of the Day of the African Child, Cares Global Network, publisher of Willows Magazine went to Obalende, Lagos to give out lunch packs to street children. There will be a Road Walk by students (June 16) to re-enact the vision of those that marched in Soweto.

The Day of the African Child is a day of reflection, one during which we all should reflect on the special needs of children in Africa; the need to increase equal access to suitable education, health, and the protection against abuses such as physical, emotional and sexual abuse, child exploitation, the recruitment of child soldiers, child labour and child marriages.

Though commemoration of the day has brought the African child under the global klieg light, we are yet to see the true recognition of the African child. The true worth of the African child will come only when their voices are truly heard and an investment in their collective future is seen; when one sees an end to gender inequality, when children are protected from all forms of abuse, when their little bodies are no longer seen as disposable and an end to demand is seen for their use as tools of the sex trade, labour and weapons of war. Until that day children across the continent of Africa continue to suffer unjustly, their abusers receive little recourse for their actions, and the majority of the governments sit idly by.

As we commemorate yet another Day of the African Child, let’s take a moment to share their strides and aspirations, let’s share their stories of courage and hope, only then will tomorrow be a better day for children everywhere.

The Convention on the Rights of the Child (1989) states that, every child has the right to good health, education, right to be treated equally, the right to be protected, and the right to participate in matters that affect them. Will you make this happen? Will you protect children now against violence, exploitation and all forms of abuse? I will. Will you?

Exerpt from this article by Omolola Famuyiwa, Project Director of Cares Global Network, was published in Punch Newspapers on 16.06.11 with the title, For the sake of the African Child.