Ugwuanyi seek urgent measures to curb child abuse in Nigeria

Rev Fr. Benedict Ugwuanyi in this exclusive interview with DOOSUUR IWAMBE maintained that child abuse is a social nuisance that should be confronted by government, policy makers parents and teachers. According to him, unless the causes of child abuse are addressed in Nigeria, efforts to prevent it will be hindered. Read the excepts

What informed your idea of writing the book “Psychological interpretation of child Abuse?

A lot of things came to my mind before writing this book. I observed the interaction that parents have with their children and in particular reference to the type of parenting that they are using in their different families; how culture influences parenting and child upbringing, parents’ perception on child abuse and above all, how children experience different forms of abuse. I felt bad observing that some parents, teachers and caregivers do not know the difference between child training, child discipline and child abuse.

I decided to write this book, in order to let the world, know that child abuse has a devastating effect on the victim. The effects and consequences come in different forms like psychological, physical, behavioral, academic, sexual, interpersonal, etc.

The book recorded different types of abuse; how does these abuses affect a child especially as they grow?

The book recorded the recognized and commonly accepted types of child abuse; physical abuse, sexual abuse, psychological abuse, child neglect and child labour.

Even though, child abuse is not recognised internationally as a type of abuse, I decided to add it in my book because it constitutes a big societal problem in our country Nigeria. In fact, it hinders both the physical and mental development of a child. Child abuse affects children in different ways.

For example, becoming aggressive, having low self-esteem, struggling with intimacy, battling with anxiety and depression, etc. Permit me to explain one of the points.

When one looks closely at the problem of low self-esteem, we find out that part of the problem is that the abused children feel they are not loved by their parents, caregivers and adults living within the environment and as such that justifies the reason for their being abused.

Take for instance, sexually abused children frequently have extreme low self-esteem. They feel worthless, valued only as a sexual object. This affects the child as he or she grows because they feel unworthy and underserving of positive attention and affection.

How would I rate the level of child abuse in Nigeria currently?

I like answering with facts, otherwise it will be on the basis of my opinion. However, before publishing my book, I carried out a research in Igboland of Nigeria. I used it as a case study.

That does not mean that child abuse exists only in Igboland of Nigeria but it will help us to have an idea of what is happening in other places. It is evident that parents who live in the rural area do not see anything wrong with child labour. Therefore, they are more statistically significant in child labour opinions than those who are living in the urban area.

However, looking at the streets of our country, we will see children engaging in economic activities such as street trading, kiosk operating, newspaper vending, bus conducting, etc. The rate of child abuse in Nigeria is not high but very high.

In your opinion, what are the factors fueling the increase in abuse as being witnessed in the country in the last few years?

There are different factors that causes child abuse but in the last few years poverty and serious marital problems have increased the ugly phenomenon. Poverty is as old as humanity and it remains one of the crucial problems which the government of Nigeria wants to solve.

An important fact to mention is that Nigeria is among the largest oil producing country but is still battling with poverty. Poverty in the midst of plenty. It is unfortunate that some families cannot afford three square meals a day. Imagine what a child in Nigeria will be experiencing by living in a family that has a constant shortage of food.

Poverty, most of the time helps in building an unhealthy home which hinders the development of a child. In fact, it retards every sphere of social, physical, emotional and psychological life of a child. On the other hand, Children are always the victims of serious marital problems.

The way that they respond to these problems are different. Some are sensitive to the issues going on in their homes while others are resilient. Although, it will demand a lot factors for a child to overcome the ugly experience. This falls within the psychological abuse.

Is there a way to effectively curb this menace?

Child abuse is a social nuisance that should be definitively confronted by parents, teachers, competent authorities and the government. Unless the causes of child abuse are addressed in Nigeria, efforts to prevent child abuse will be hindered.

There is need to organise programs for parents, teaching and drawing their attention to positive parenting and development of parenting skills. However, there is an urgent need to curb child abuse at the official level. Child abuse is a social problem in Nigeria and as such demands a legal intervention.

Would you agree that children who are abused are likely to perpetrate same when they grow?

This is a very tough question, but it might interest you to know that the research I carried out when writing my book showed that parents who experienced abuse behaviour during childhood are more likely to abuse a child. Please, the word likely should be underlined.

On June 8, 2020, the World Health Organisation stated that a child who is abused is more likely to abuse others as an adult so that violence is passed down from one generation to the next. It is therefore critical to break this cycle of violence, and in so doing create positive multi-generational impacts.

Do we have provisions for rehabilitating children who have been abused to help them heal psychologically and live past the trauma experienced?

Before I answer this question, permit me to inform you that the role of a psychologist is not valued in our country Nigeria.

People prefer to go to their religious leaders for most of their problems, forgetting that we have experts that treat such problems. Again, the government is not paying much attention to this very problem.

No wonder on March 3, 2021 in Geneva, UN experts urged Nigeria to prioritise, specialized and rehabilitate measures for the hundreds of abducted children left deeply traumatised after their release and to strengthen protection measures for those at risk. We need rehabilitating centers well-furnished in all states of the country.

What role can the church and other religious sects play to stem the tide of child abuse in our society?

Religion is the major principle, which dominates the life of the average Nigerian man and woman. It sets a tone in their relationship with nature and fellowmen. It wields so much power in the Nigerian society.

Most of the time, religion controls the average Nigeria man or woman, the environment and the people’s value. Its influence in Igboland is so powerful. We cannot deny the fact that different religions exert different changes on its adherents.

It is within this context that the church and other religious organization can come together to pursue a common goal. Considering prevention of child abuse in Nigeria as first in its scale of preference.

The different religious leaders in Nigeria could unite and this coalitions could also serve as forum to address other child rights violations that are being justified in the name of religion.

Religious leaders could help in preventing this problem which leads to child abuse by teaching their members that the crisis of family violence affects children physically, psychologically, and spiritually.

Do you think we have an effective justice system that can contain child abuse through arrests, trials and prosecutions?

It is important to bear in mind that the general framework within which human rights are protected in Nigeria is enshrined in the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

The judicial system knows what to do and I will like to remind them that as far as human rights law is concerned, children constitute a minority group and all hand must be on deck to protect them. In fact, the Justice system can do more than they are doing now.

What do you advise the government to do with regards to implementation of laws to ensure that people who engage in such acts are punished appropriately?

It is important to remind the government that the law serves to protect the best interest of the child. They should use all the necessary means especially the legal intervention in calling the abusers to order.

Again, government could come up with strong legislation against all forms of child abuse and neglect in Nigeria. Most importantly, they should see that these laws are executed and enforced.