Child abuse and neglect in Nigeria -- a situation analysis.

The Nigeria chapter of the African Network for the Prevention and Protection Against Child Abuse and Neglect conducted a nationwide study to acquire an overview of the nature and extent of child abuse and neglect in Nigeria. The 3-part study assessed the density of children working on the streets and the attitudes of adults and children related to child abuse and neglect. Counts of working street youths under age 16 years and respondent attitudes were assessed in Kaduna/Zaria, Enugu/Onitsha, and Ibadan. The densities of street children and questionnaire responses from sampled adults suggest that child abuse and neglect are serious problems in Nigeria; cultural practices and traditional attitudes contribute to the problem; institutions tasked with addressing family and child welfare have failed to do so; hawking, begging, and abandonment place these children at risk; and some handicapped children roam the streets without care. School children were surveyed to provide information on their before- and after-school chores, their views on physical punishment by parents and teachers, and their nutritional standards. 94% received three meals/day; 52% typically spent 2-4 hours after school in domestic chores such as sweeping the house, washing dishes, and preparing evening meals; and many were either scolded, beaten, or assigned additional household duties as punishment for behaving contrary to the desires of adults.