In some unintentional but existing practices, a vast majority of Nigerians are actually guilty of the dreaded child abuse topic in several ways.
Despite the general unfriendly tone that educated elites tend to display to abusers, a huge population of the Nigerian – blue collar – working class group are also guilty of child abuse. From partially mild cases like residential house maids to violently brutal ways like physically assaulting children, below are five common child abuse practices in Nigeria.
1. House-maids: Over 50% of Nigerian rich and middle class individuals are undoubtedly guilty of this case. The practice of taking a child from his/her parents after negotiating and concluding a financial payment method with the parents in exchange for making the child run errands or carryout any form of task in your home can easily be described as slavery.
2. Hawking: Tragically, this life-threatening act is still being practiced in many parts of the country. Some children are always exposed to road accidents by their parents when they are forced to hawk goods on very busy highways under the scorching sun.
3. Physical assault: This practice that has been naturally camouflaged as discipline is literally practiced in over 70% of Nigerian homes daily. The only medium of correction many parents subscribe to inflict pain on their children.
4. Verbal Assault: Using harsh and negative words on children when they err is a common practice in Nigeria. Parents are always quick to hurl abusive words at their children even in cases where the child make mistakes that are common to their age range.
5. Sex: Tragically, the rate of sexual assault on children in Nigeria is now becoming a common practice. Children are being raped by close relatives, siblings and even their parents. In some cases, the elders that used to be the external parents of every child in the community have also joined the band wagon of child rape in Nigeria.
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