Over 80 percent of Nigerian children suffer from violence — UNICEF

The United Nations International Children’s Fund (UNICEF), has said over 60 percent of children living in Nigeria suffer from violence, says a Child Protection Specialist of UNICEF, Miss Lady Alabi.

Alabi who coordinates UNICEF activities from Bauchi field office also said child violence ranges from Physical, Emotional, Mental and Sexual abuse.

Speaking on Friday in Jos, the Plateau State capital, on the activity tagged School Based Campaign To End Violence Children, Ladi Alabi, reading from the findings from a National Survey said before the age of 18 years, approximately 6 out every 10 children experience some form of violence.

According to her, the Survey stipulates that “one out of two children experience physical violence, one out of four girls and one out of 10 boys experience sexual violence, plus one out of six girls and one in every five boys experience emotional violence”.

Reading further, the survey findings also explains that the majority, approximately 80percent of children who experience physical, sexual or emotional violence in childhood do so on multiple occasions.

“Children often experience more than one type of violence either at the same time or at different points in childhood.

“Of those children who experience violence, children between the ages of 6 and 11 suffer physical violence, and approximately one in 10 children first experienced physical violence under the ages of five.

“A third of girls experienced their first incident of sexual violence between 14 and 15 and almost a third of boys experienced their incident of sexual violence at 13 years and below, while 26 percent of girls and 10 percent of boys reported that their first sexual intercourse was forced”, the survey informed.