The streets are increasingly becoming the homes of children in Nigeria, such that if nothing is done, a lot more of these children will end up constituting a nuisance to the entire nation.

In Nigeria, it is a common sight to find children walking, jumping and running to meet up the pace of moving vehicles, so as to exchange articles for money with motorists along major busy roads and streets of the nation. These children are on many occasions compelled to sell "pure water" which they are never meant to consume.

If this is not the idea of staying all day long along these streets, then a child remains in the streets just to hawk oranges, boiled groundnuts, push compact discs, fish, tubers of yam, and other commodities for sale. It is also terrible to discover that most of these children found in the streets never return home at the end of such transactions, as they pass the nights under bridges, sleep inside school buildings or incredibly sleep inside market stalls, their places of abode.

This is nothing but child abuse. This article presents the challenges that force Nigerian children to take to the streets rather than remain in their homes to attend to educational needs and requirements. This will in the end offer a very critical understanding on the contributory factors that necessitate this, together with how it can be effectively reduced. However, it is apt to define what child abuse is all about, to enable us determine whether this is child abuse or just what parents of such children involved term "hustling", a Nigerian terminology used to describe an act of making ends meet using uncomfortable means.

Wikipedia.org defines child abuse as "the physical, psychological or sexual maltreatment of children." It thus includes "neglect," physical abuse," child s*xual abuse" and "psychological abuse" as the major tools which occasion child abuse. A neglected child means a child less than 18 years of age whose physical, mental or emotional condition has been impaired, or is in danger of becoming impaired, as a result of the failure of the child's legal guardian to exercise a minimum degree of care in supplying the child with adequate food, clothing, shelter, education or medical care.

Child abuse is a situation whereby the fundamental human rights of a child is tempered with. That is, the child is not given adequate care and protection, as it's the responsibility of every parent to take good care of their children. These rights are education, religion, freedom, movement, shelter etc. The child on most occasions is exposed to unnecessary hardships and odds in life.

Having successfully determined what child abuse is from the different perspectives, we shall now apply it to the Nigerian society and, how it has impacted on this very society which before now had very high regard for tradition.

Nigeria is viewed as having the potential to determine and define the future of the African continent, by reason of being the continent's largest population, an idea which rests on the future of the children and youths of the nation, as the leaders of tomorrow. But, certain situations erode the rights of our children, grossly leaving the idea at risk. It is a hugely risky venture to think that Nigeria will lead the African continent, if she does not urgently address the needs of its children's which are currently plaguing the nation.

In the Nigerian society, children should be considered equally as important as adults, because the society entails continuity, children taking over from where adults have stopped, when they are grown.

Child abuse within Nigerian society stretches beyond the ordinary, and this raises great concern to all, as children's optimum development is greatly reduced by child abuse, followed by the unconcerned attitudes of our government not realizing that children are our best resources for the development of the nation.

In Nigerian homes, the idea of domestic servitude, in which children are utilized against their personal wishes and will continues. These children wake up to realize they are going to live with another human being, whose background, character, ideologies, likes and dislikes and reasons in life are mostly unknown. These children do not even get paid but, their parents or guardians receive money on their behalf, while they work hard, with dim futures, and may even be spiritually viewed as witches and wizards, responsible for bringing ill-luck to such families.

While these "modern slaves" are made to sit at home or, at best, be placed in public schools where educational activities are in inertia, the children of the "slave masters" get the best of life. Many of these slave masters are Deacons/Deaconesses and Alfas in our churches and mosques and we pay spiritual homage to them in the name of God.

A lot of children have been made to give confessional statements to spiritualists, under duress, and following torture to deliver testimonies on how they have unturned many homes, which turn out to be self-made stories used to justify stagnant family situations.

Children may also be required to hawk on busy roads, as an alternative to education, in order to generate money for their parents, and when put together, one discovers that collectively, the articles for sale cannot be worth more than N500.00 (Five Hundred Naira). Consider the case of a small girl who hawks several large tubers of yam. When she is tired of walking and, as result, decides to sleep by the road side, she is molested by a number of unidentified gang members or lured away for ritual purposes, having some of her private parts removed for this purpose.

In this era also, we find many Nigerian children who act as guide to beggars. In most cases, it is hard to tell how related they are to these beggars, because they are rarely seen conversing, except when they are both tired and resting. Funny enough, when they are set to go home, commercial bus drivers rarely show the urge or intention to convey them with their buses, because as beggars, they are seen as people incapable of affording the fares. Sometimes bus conductors attempt pushing them off their vehicles for the same reason.

Many men lure young female hawkers to their houses or elsewhere where their articles are bought up, by giving them money equivalent to these articles and engage in s*x with them, with or without their consent. Our culture gets these victims to keep quiet and not make any disclosures to their parents, because they may end up receiving many more tortures from their parents.

Not sending children to school may also mean sending them to gambling centers where they mix up with adults of different kinds, obtaining different gambling skills and exhibiting them. This mostly occurs because parents and guardians have failed to give their children proper provisions, supervision or guardianship, and the child is left with no option than to take to what is available to him/her.

Child abuse in Nigeria may never be a thing of the past until the government intervenes. It is on the basis of this that we call on relevant agencies and child-right activists to help ensure that a meaningful life returns to Nigerian children and that they are not denied the basic rights to life. When this is done, children will become happy and contribute their own quota to the development of Nigeria, when they are grown.

Reference article..."The Nigerian Child: Face to Face With Abuse" by Emeka Esogbue

About the Author
Emeka Esogbue hails from Ibusa, Delta State, Nigeria. He is a Historian and International Relations graduate and Political/Public Affairs Analyst.

We need to start by regulating our population.
in other words, maximum of 2 kids (depending on family income)
Poor people =0 kid
average families = 1 kid
Rich families = 2 kids
anybody ever noticed that those women that beg for money on the street get to hand over business to almost 12 children? Sotey the mama go siddon for under umbrella and the kids would be running after vehicles like WTH? the last time I was in Naija, I started to wonder the kinda spirit that would even push such people into having a kid, let alone plenty

it's pathetic
I pity these kids a lot
How they even manouvre their ways in between vehicles on the express road is beyond comprehension for moi
and the ones that do indoor slavery, what can I say?
operation 'say-no-to-overpopulation'






As usual, I didn't read the op, I only read the first line

Children are a blessing from God
Children are investment for the future

Just a few of the excuses ignorant folks have for churning out hordes of offspring.

"Make I born all the one wey dey my belle, I no know which one go come be President" . I worked in family planning for a while, You see women with 9 kids all some of which are sent from 5 years to be househelps still birthing in the hope that they will born the one they can leech on who will carry all the families problem on his / her head and be unable to properly plan for his/ her own family because of his/her parents responsiblities or lack of it

Child labor would have been the most appropriate term to use in the context of hustling while Child Abuse would be right for molestation. I don't know but Whenever I see this little hustlers, I just feel uncomfortable so I don't talk about it or even try and gaze into their eyes cuz i can see the tears in their eyes

Hmmmm

cococandy: Children are a blessing from God
Children are investment for the future

Just a few of the excuses ignorant folks have for churning out hordes of offspring.

Are you saying those statements are not true..

I believe children are a blessing from God and blessed is he who has his quiver full of them

Calling such people ignorant.... Hmmmm

Everyone knows those statements are true.

But when you have 4 kids on a low pay job or no job at all with another one on the way and try to use God as excuse,it means that the person is ignorant of the fact even though god blessed us with millions of reproductive cells,he also blessed us with common sense to do so wisely.

You can't tell me those beggars on the street with five kids pulling the end of their wrappers aren't ignorant.

pickabeau1:

Are you saying those statements are not true..

I believe children are a blessing from God and blessed is he who has his quiver full of them

Calling such people ignorant.... Hmmmm

aisha2: "Make I born all the one wey dey my belle, I no know which one go come be President" . I worked in family planning for a while, You see women with 9 kids all some of which are sent from 5 years to be househelps still birthing in the hope that they will born the one they can leech on who will carry all the families problem on his / her head and be unable to properly plan for his/ her own family because of his/her parents responsiblities or lack of it

Very pathetic

Out of these two women,one is ignorant,the other is not(at least on this issue)
If the ignorant one knew what was best,she would have sought to have a means of livelihood and a stable home before popping kids into the world.

cococandy: Everyone knows those statements are true.

But when you have 4 kids on a low pay job or no job at all with another one on the way and try to use God as excuse,it means that the person is ignorant of the fact even though god blessed us with millions of reproductive cells,he also blessed us with common sense to do so wisely.

You can't tell me those beggars on the street with five kids pulling the end of their wrappers aren't ignorant.

Ignorant ke? They are just capitalizing on the principles of our forefathers, 'more children translates to more help with farm work'. So theirs read 'more children, more money', shikena.

cococandy: Everyone knows those statements are true.

But when you have 4 kids on a low pay job or no job at all with another one on the way and try to use God as excuse,it means that the person is ignorant of the fact even though god blessed us with millions of reproductive cells,he also blessed us with common sense to do so wisely.

You can't tell me those beggars on the street with five kids pulling the end of their wrappers aren't ignorant.

You are spouting simplistic reasons which do not even address the issues at hand

A society like ours is transiting from one where children were seen as a farming resource and more kids were encouraged to one where child management and family planning is key.


It starts with education and enlightenment and organisations like Society for family health in conjunction with the ministry of health

Also better health care and immunisation means that kids live long unlike before when child mortality before the age of 2 was high.

What we need is a concerted effort by all to continually impress on men and women to ensure family planning.

Human rights groups and female oriented NGOs can help here

We cant solve the issue by making light of people's religious belief on children.

I feel so sad seeing children brought to the world to suffer.Suffering is a relative term but at least the basics food, shelter, an education, good healthcare at the very least.

There needs to be more Education among the lower classes (not trying to be snobbish but thats just the truth)especially on the need to have the no of kids that they can effectively caterto. And yes I agree with Aisha on the lottery child mentality the more I have the more likely one will sha 'miraculously' hammer and take care of the others and me.It does happen but most times it doesn't and the cycle of poverty just continues.

pickabeau1:
You are spouting simplistic reasons which do not even address the issues at hand
A society like ours is transiting from one where children were seen as a farming resource and more kids were encouraged to one where child management and family planning is key.
It starts with education and enlightenment and organisations like Society for family health in conjunction with the ministry of health
Also better health care and immunisation means that kids live long unlike before when child mortality before the age of 2 was high.
What we need is a concerted effort by all to continually impress on men and women to ensure family planning.
Human rights groups and female oriented NGOs can help here
We cant solve the issue by making light of people's religious belief on children.

I don't know how religious belief comes into this.
I don't see who's disagreeing with you about the family planning et al.
Infact since you know that's what they need,you do agree that they ignorant about such things.

This should have been your first post on the thread instead of hanging by the corner waiting to pick my own post apart.

Very sad indeed. I once witnessed a trailer crushed one of these guys trying to sell gala. I just don't know how it happened. And the parents are somewhere waiting to eat from their hustle.

cococandy:

I don't know how religious belief comes into this.
I don't see who's disagreeing with you about the family planning et al.
Infact since you know that's what they need,you do agree that they ignorant about such things.

This should have been your first post on the thread instead of hanging by the corner waiting to pick my own post apart.

Hahaha..pick wetin...i only observed the post making fun and mocking religious statements

Even rich people make those statements...

Funny woman..

pickabeau1:

Hahaha..pick wetin...i only observed the post making fun and mocking religious statements

Even rich people make those statements...

Funny woman..

Even unbelievers make such statements so no ones religious beliefs was being mocked.

Trust you to bring a different weird angle into it.

BTW I said something about children being seen as investment for the future.
Who's financial belief was I mocking?

Hmmm..its not a weird angle..that's why I asked...


Ok...education and family planning would help

Since we are agreed no problem...

How is your family

When are you going to endow a scholarship too..https://www.nairaland.com/1842604/tehn-calling-all-school-leavers

cococandy:
Even unbelievers make such statements so no ones religious beliefs was being mocked.
Trust you to bring a different weird angle into it.
BTW I said something about children being seen as investment for the future.
Who's financial belief was I mocking?

pickabeau1: Hmmm..its not a weird angle..that's why I asked...


Ok...education and family planning would help

Since we are agreed no problem...

How is your family

When are you going to endow a scholarship too..https://www.nairaland.com/1842604/tehn-calling-all-school-leavers

We are fine thank you.
Hope you're too.

Oh. In my own time.
Meanwhile can donors do so completely anonymously? Even without the organizers finding out who they are?

cococandy:

We are fine thank you.
Hope you're too.

Oh. In my own time.

Good...do you know of tehn

I'm on the thread now. Let me find out

pickabeau1:

Good...do you know of tehn

damiso: I feel so sad seeing children brought to the world to suffer.Suffering is a relative term but at least the basics food, shelter, an education, good healthcare at the very least.
There needs to be more Education among the lower classes (not trying to be snobbish but thats just the truth)especially on the need to have the no of kids that they can effectively caterto. And yes I agree with Aisha on the lottery child mentality the more I have the more likely one will sha 'miraculously' hammer and take care of the others and me.It does happen but most times it doesn't and the cycle of poverty just continues.

My sister if you know how much is being spent on behavorial change campaigns on radio, local communication and free contraceptions you will be shocked. They have been enlightened they just refuse to learn, we use peer educators they turn their noses at them and say they are agents of capitalism. Yet they are the ones who will ask "Government to come to their aid" when they finish birthing their multitude. The manner in which they disregard the kids is shocking, imagine sending a 5 year old to be a househelp and not even visiting once then when a wicked madam pours hot water or beats the child to coma they call "Government to help" them. When Government is helping you by building and providing fertility choice options at their door steps they wont accept, EVERY Primary Health Care center is fully equiped with these items so really we cant blame this on lack of information, infact NGOs have done too much but you cant force them to make wise choices

cococandy: I'm on the thread now. Let me find out

Ok

aisha2:

My sister if you know how much is being spent on behavorial change campaigns on radio, local communication and free contraceptions you will be shocked. They have been enlightened they just refuse to learn, we use peer educators they turn their noses at them and say they are agents of capitalism. Yet they are the ones who will ask "Government to come to their aid" when they finish birthing their multitude. The manner in which they disregard the kids is shocking, imagine sending a 5 year old to be a househelp and not even visiting once then when a wicked madam pours hot water or beats the child to coma they call "Government to help" them. When Government is helping you by building and providing fertility choice options at their door steps they wont accept, EVERY Primary Health Care center is fully equiped with these items so really we cant blame this on lack of information, infact NGOs have done too much but you cant force them to make wise choices

I guess one cant force them. But we can't relent hopefully the message will eventually filter through with time. My grandmother had 7 kids(she lost 3 at infancy) and none of her kids had more than 3.The numbers keep reducing by generation so hopefully the ones with multitudes now will have their own kids having better exposure and less kids.