Rather than doing all it can to protect children, Nigeria remains content to line up excuses while children remain inexcusably vulnerable and child protection virtually non-existent.
A society where children are prone to abuse would always condone excuses for exposing children to horrific abuse. Such a society often shields the worst offenders or punishes them minimally before cutting them loose to continue their sadistic abuse of children.
The case of 13-year-old Bridget Samuel in Taraba State is particularly pathetic.
Falsely accused of stealing N5000, her hands were tied by two of her uncles and dipped in hot water mixed with pepper and sand. The horrific cruelty coupled with the fact that she was not immediately given medical attention may end up causing the permanent loss of her hands.
The punishment meted out to Bridget which was for an unconfirmed act of theft highlights the dangers children face at the hands of adults who are supposed to protect them. No matter the crime the child committed there could have been no justification for the cruelty.
Children remain tragically exposed to abuse in Nigeria where constant referrals as leaders of tomorrow is fast receding behind a cloud of complacency. It has been more than two decades since Nigeria passed the Child Rights Act, yet, safety has only marginally improved for Nigerian children. As with the myriad of laws passed in Nigeria, the law has been bogged down by the bogeyman of implementation.
Grinding poverty still forces families to send their children to live with psychopaths and pedophiles masquerading as relatives, who end up ruining their young lives. Most times, when these unspeakable abuses come to the fore, the authorities are usually too weak to act.
The way insecurity has disrupted the lives of children in Nigeria is well documented. Children have suffered incalculably as terrorism has convulsed many parts of the country. Bandits attack schools at will, abduct as many children as they wish and keep them for as long as they want. The recurrence of this crime despite its severity is a sign that the government is out of its depth in how to tackle it.
Many children suffer in silence at the hands of those entrusted with their care. Their stories remain buried, their scars hidden, their sadistic abusers shadowy. The law which should have a heightened sense of responsibility towards this particularly vulnerable group is failing to uncover their stories, bring them justice or punish their abusers. Nigeria will continue to have children who are destroyed before they are formed unless the law can live up to the expectations of children.
Nigeria's descent into lawlessness leaves the country exposed on many flanks. Vicious vulnerability has only increased for endangered groups like women and children who are increasingly imperiled their unraveling circumstances. In failing to adequately protect them, the law and those who enforce it are confirming suspicion that they are all bark and no bite.
Nigeria owes every Nigerian child a debt that can only be repaid by lifelong security, quality education, healthcare, social security and other variables that firm up a quality life. Generations have gone with this debt remaining unpaid. This sequence must be snapped if the country's future is to beat its past.
Nigeria will remain without justice until every child that has suffered any form of abuse get justice. There should be no hiding place anywhere for those who abuse children.
Time has also run out for religious and traditional practices which steal the childhood of many children through child marriage, female genital mutilation and child labour. These practices must now be consigned to the past if children are to lead easier and happier lives.
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Nigeria faces a catastrophic reckoning if the authorities do not commit more resources to protecting children. Children are the future. Abused children will bring up an abused future. Scarred children will bring up a future mapped with scars and neglect.
Already, the result of years of neglect of children is clear in the activities of the terrorist groups who continue to recruit children to do their bidding.
These terrorist groups which prey on children who have been exposed by Nigeria's failure to protect them continue to show what invaluable resources children can be under different circumstances.
Education and sensitization about child care and protection must continue for parents, guardians, and the society at large. Those entrusted with the care of children must be made to understand that there are clear lines that cannot be crossed under any circumstances in the care of children. This is important to keep children safe always.
