CHILD ABUSE: THREAT TO NATION BUILDING IN THE EASTERN NIGER DELTA, NIGERIA C. 1999-2017
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Date
2016-12
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The Department of History and International Studies, Al-Hikmah University, Ilorin Nigeria.
Abstract
The problem of child maltreatment has remained with us for a long time for cultural and several other reasons. This serious social menace has recently gained some recognition and attention in the Eastern Niger Delta area of Nigeria, due to increasing awareness and education among the populace created by some nongovernmental agencies. These acts of neglect, exploitation, physical, sexual abuse, psychological and emotional abuse have negatively affected the children. All these negative effects leading to mal adaptation have eventually led some of the children into criminal activities, unplanned pregnancies, robbery, illicit drugs use and violence. The study adopts both primary and secondary sources. It examined child abuse as an impediment to nation building in the Eastern Niger Delta area of Nigeria using a historic-structural and multi-disciplinary approaches. The study concludes that poor parenting, poverty, unemployment, maternal depression, unintended conception, large family size, weak institutions such as the Nigeria police force, National Agency for the prohibition of Trafficking in Persons among others, remain major reasons for child maltreatment in the area and are therefore, impediments to nation building. There is therefore an urgent need for government to re-direct its policy on child protection in order to curb the menace in Niger Delta. It is only then that socio-economic development of the people would be guaranteed.
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Keywords
Child, Abuse, Threat, Nation, Building, Niger delta