ASSESSMENT OF THE FACTORS RESPONSIBLE FOR CHILD ABUSE AND NEGLECT IN NIGERIA

1.1 Introduction

Child abuse is called cruelty to children; the willful infliction of pain and suffering on children through physical, sexual or emotional mistreatment. Prior to the term, child abuse normally referred to only physical mistreatment but since then, its application has expanded to include, in addition to inordinate physical violence, unjustifiable verbal abuse, the failure to furnish proper shelter, nourishment, medical treatment or emotional support. Child abuse can also be seen as the crime of harming a child in a physical, sexual or emotional way. Child abuse is also any illness, impairment or abnormal condition that affects primarily infants and children e.g. those in the age span that begins with the fetus and extends through adolescence.

As a prelude to other parts of this study, this chapter will discuss the background upon which this study was initiated, the statement of problems that led to this study, the Aim and Objectives of the study. Others are Significance of the study, Scope of work, Research hypothesis and questions, Limitations of the Study and Definition of technical terms.

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1.2 Background of Study

Child abuse and neglect is a social and public health problem in Nigeria, as well as children’s rights issue. Abuse and neglect can lead to a wide range of adverse consequences for children and young people. There is generally not a single factor that results in the abuse or neglect of a child; it is usually a combination of various factors. In addition, the duration or intensity can make it more or less likely that a child will be at risk for abuse (Aber and Cicchetti, 2014).

Child abuse is a term used for maltreatment and neglect of children. Child maltreatment may be formally described as all forms of physical and/or emotional ill-treatment, sexual abuse, neglect or negligent treatment or commercial or other exploitation, resulting in actual or potential harm to the child’s health, survival, development or dignity in the context of a relationship of responsibility, trust or power (Woodhouse, 2011).

Child neglect on the other hand is generally seen as a different phenomenon from maltreatment. Child neglect may be defined as: “any recent act or failure to act on the part of a parent or caregiver, which results in death, serious physical or emotional harm, sexual abuse or exploitation, or an act or failure to act which presents an imminent risk of serious harm” (Culp, 2011). Neglect is in many ways the more insidious harm against a child, with long-term effects at least as damaging as physical abuse (if not more so) but often going unnoticed (Bloom, 2011).

The term ‘child abuse and neglect’ refers to the harm experienced by children or young people under the age of 18 yearsas a result of the actions, inactions or inability of people with a parental responsibility for them (Sylvestre and Mérette, 2010). Parental responsibility in relation to a child means all the duties, powers, responsibilities and authority which, by law, parents have in relation to children (Greenfield, 2010). The harm experienced by the child or young person may arise from a significant event or may arise from the cumulative effect of abuse and neglect. Most parents love their children, but when stress, tiredness, lack of skills, information and support combine it can be overwhelming (Drotar, 2012).

Child abuse occurs in every country in the world, and despite considerable efforts and resources, rates of maltreatment and neglect in developed countries have not markedly diminished, nor are researchers much closer to being able to assess which children are at risk, and what programmes effectively change long-term behaviour so as to prevent maltreatment (Berger, 2010). It is certain that no child is ever to blame for abuse inflicted on him or her by an adult. There may be no ‘child’ factors present at all when a child is abused. However the risk of abuse of a child may be increased if the child has attributes that make parenting more difficult or has high needs. Relevant factors might include being a premature baby, persistently crying, being one of a multiple birth, and/or having behavioural or mental health problems (Rosenbaum, 2011).

Child abuse and neglect have immediate and long-term consequences. In addition to negatively impacting on the child, child abuse and neglect impacts on the family, the school community, and even future generations. The ability to survive and thrive in the face of child abuse and neglect depends on a variety of factors, including the extent and type of abuse or neglect, whether it was continual or infrequent, the age of the child when abuse was initiated, the child’s relationship to the abuser, and how the abuse or neglect was responded to if discovered or disclosed. Outcomes are also dependent on the child’s personality traits, inner strength, and the support the child receives from those around them (Berger, 2015).

Neglected children are also at considerable risk. These children are more likely than other children to suffer from a serious physical injury due to an accident such as falling, drowning, fire, or ingesting poison. They are also at a greater risk than other children of being physically and sexually abused from an unrelated caretaker, often times a significant other or friend of their parent(s) (Berger, 2010).

It is important to note that some children will not develop behavioral problems, so it cannot be assumed that a lack of behavioral problems is evidence against child abuse or neglect. When there are behavioral problems as a result of child abuse and neglect, they will most likely be related to difficulty following rules, being respectful, staying in their seats and keeping on-task, temper tantrums, and difficult peer relationships. As children become older they are more likely to engage in self (Woodhouse, 2011).

Therefore, in Nigeria where the research was carried out, the activities that was conducted is to know the Factors Responsible for Child Abuse and Neglect in Nigeria.

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1.3 Statement of Problems

Investigation revealed that many child deaths are not routinely investigated and postmortem examinations are not carried out, which makes it difficult to establish the precise number of fatalities from child abuse in Ika South Local Government Area of Delta State. Data on non-fatal child abuse and neglect come from a variety of sources, including official statistics, case reports and population-based surveys. These sources, however, differ as regards their usefulness in describing the full extent of the problem. Official statistics often reveal little about the patterns of child abuse. This is partly because, in Ika South Local Government Area of Delta State there are no legal or social systems with specific responsibility for recording, let alone responding to, reports of child abuse and neglect.

In addition, there are differing legal and cultural definitions of abuse and neglect between societies. There is also evidence that only a small proportion of cases of child maltreatment are reported to authorities, even where mandatory reporting exists. This foster insecurity and anarchy as a result of inadequate means of meeting legitimate goals or values of the society. This jeopardizes not only the immediate children but further endangers our future continuum and a tactical genocidal wipe of humanity since child maltreatment maimed the survival, development and participation of the child.

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1.4 Aim and Objectives of Study

The aim of the study is to assess the Factors Responsible for Child Abuse and Neglect in Nigeria. In achieving this aim, the following specific objectives were laid out as follows:

1. To determine the means of child abuse and neglect among parents in the area under study;
2. Examine the factors that protect a child from risk of abuse or neglect in the area under study;
3. To determine the consequences of child abuse and neglect in the area under study; and
4. To identify the factors that are responsible for child abuse and neglect among parents in the area under study.

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1.5 Research Questions

The study came up with research questions so as to be able to ascertain the above stated objectives. The specific research questions for the study are stated below as follows:

• Is there any significant relationship between child abuse, child neglect and crime?
• Is there any factor instigating child abuse in the area under study?
• Is there cultural influence in propagating child abuse and neglect?
• What factors protect a child from risk of abuse or neglect in the area under study?
• What are the means of child abuse and neglect in the area under study?
• What are the consequences of child abuse and neglect in the area under study?
• What are the factors that contribute to child abuse and neglect among parents in the area under study?

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1.6 Research Hypothesis

In order to pursue the objective of this study, the following generalized statements have been designed to guide and aids in obtaining the result for the experiment to be conducted. For this work, the null hypothesis will be represented with H0 while the alternative hypothesis will be represented with hypothesis H1.

Hypothesis One

• H0: There are no significant roles played by parents and government in curbing the menace of child abuse
• H1: There are significant roles played by parents and government in curbing the menace of child abuse

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1.7 Significance of Study

The study investigates the Factors Responsible for Child Abuse and Neglect in Nigeria. This study will be significant to parents, caregivers, nanny, children, teenagers, village heads, government and the general public on the issues of child abuse and neglect among parents in our society.

This study will help to identify the factors that contribute to parental child abuse and neglect of children and suggest what can be done to prevent child abuse and neglect. The study will also be significant to children by identifying factors that can protect them from risk of abuse or neglect.

The study will show the extent that non-violent and non-abusive disciplinary methods or practices that parents or caregivers should employed such as explaining to children why their behaviour was wrong and telling them to stop, withdrawing privileges and using other nonviolent methods to change problem behaviour of children.

Furthermore, it is a valuable tool for the researchers, health administrators, counsellors, health practitioners, educationist, lecturers, teachers and various associated study on child abuse and neglect as well as a reference work to others who intend to replicate this study. It is hoped that the results of this research will go a long way in helping to alleviate these problems of child abuse and neglect in the area under study.

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1.8 Scope of Study

The scope of this research is focused on the Assessment of the Factors Responsible for Child abuse and Neglect in Nigeria using Ika South Local Government Area of Delta State as a case study.

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1.9 Limitations of the Study

During the course of this study, many things militated against its completion, some of which are:

1. Time Constraint: The time frame given to accomplish this project was very short due to school academic calendar and it was carried out under pressure which made the researcher not to implement some necessary features.
2. Research material: availability of research material is a major setback to the scope of the study.
3. Frequent power failure: This made the researcher append more money on fuel to ensure sustainable power.
4. Financial Constraint: Insufficient fund tends to impede the efficiency of the researcher in sourcing for the relevant materials, literature or information and in the process of data collection (internet, questionnaire and interview).

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1.10 Definition of Terms

Neglect: Failure to provide for a child's basic needs. Neglect maybe physical, medical, educational, or emotional

Abuse: This means the misuse of something. It can also be described as the illegal use of something

Child Abuse: can be defined as causing or permitting any harmful or offensive contact on a Childs body; and any communication or transaction of any kind, which humiliates, shames, or frightens the child.