Recently, the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) said it recorded an upsurge in the number of child abandonment cases of more than 1,300 cases, including other violations.
At the presentation of the commission’s October Dashboard report, the office of the Executive Secretary of NHRC said it is worrisome that the number of cases concerning children is increasing each month.
Relying on this abnormal situation, experts warn that child abandonment is the highest form of vulnerability a child can face. Other challenges include abuse, violence and neglect.
This is even as a flagship report by the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) in “The State of the World’s Children 2024” stated that the future of childhood ‘hangs in the balance’ as three major global forces reshape children’s lives.
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UN Secretary António Guterres said in his World Children’s Day message that it is shocking that in the 21st century, any child still goes hungry, uneducated, or without even the most basic healthcare.
He further noted that it is a stain on humanity’s conscience when children’s lives are caught in the grinding wheels of poverty or upended by disasters.
Nigeria’s present and future depend on the well-being of its children, and without doubt, children and youth, commonly referred to as “future leaders,” are the most vulnerable sector of Nigeria’s vast population.
The future of Nigeria is being challenged with its children facing many challenges, including poverty, violence, and lack of access to education and healthcare. It is, indeed, alarming that 47 per cent of children in Nigeria live in poor households, and 67 per cent experience multidimensional poverty.
As of September 2024, an estimated 18.3 million children in Nigeria between the ages of 6 and 14 were out of school. This includes 10.2 million children of primary school age and 8.1 million children of junior secondary school age.
In 2024, Save the Children estimates that one million more children in Nigeria could face acute malnutrition, including 1.8 million who could experience Severe Acute Malnutrition (SAM).
Though condemnable, the rising cases of abandonment are attributable to the pervading economic realities in the country as parents face uphill tasks in seeking a living. The average Nigerian family is confronted with the challenges of low standard of living and food insecurity.
For some, that is where the issue of birth control comes in handy to help in sizing the number of children that can adequately be catered for.
Family planning is recognised as part of the country’s health and population policies, but the uptake is low despite high awareness.
UNICEF notes that by 2050, one in 13 births will occur in Nigeria, and this rapid population growth demands investment in children.
Therefore, it is imperative that family planning be repositioned not only as a choice issue but also as a health and development issue for the country. Besides, it can help people avoid an unplanned pregnancy’s health, social, and financial problems.
Also, Nigeria could reduce the 10.5 million out-of-school children by 90 per cent if the economy’s managers adopted a free education model and provided free access to health care services.
It’s high time the government stopped harping on the country’s high number of out-of-school children and looked at how it can reduce, if not eliminate the number.
UNICEF recommends urgent investment in education, services and sustainable and resilient cities for children. To this, we are persuaded to add that Nigerian law enforcement and legal systems should be reformed to ensure that child abusers are prosecuted.
The Child Rights Act (CRA), which was passed in 2003, guarantees the rights of children in Nigeria and defines a child as anyone under the age of 18.
The law covers a range of topics, including the right to health services, the prohibition of child marriage, and the role of the state government in protecting children’s rights.
The UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, regarded as the most widely ratified human rights treaty in history, confers on every child the rights to survival, development, protection and participation.
Sadly, in our view, the non-implementation of these rights has left many children vulnerable to exploitation, abduction, and neglect.
We, therefore, urge the government to intensify its commitment to enforcing the Child Rights Act and to address the sociocultural factors contributing to the violations against children.
This newspaper recognises that as of 2024, 24 out of 36 states in Nigeria have adopted the CRA as state law, and the states that have not adopted the CRA include Gombe and Bauchi.
We are worried that the social vulnerability of the Nigerian child is on the increase due to the Child Rights Act’s current poor implementation at all levels, except in a few states.
The UNICEF’s Executive director, Catherine Russel, in his reflection, claimed that decisions world leaders make today – or fail to make – would define the world children will inherit.
