Violence against children is something we in the developing world don’t see as a big deal, especially in Africa and Nigeria to be precise.

Violence against children are not seen as violence at all, in some instances there are been seen as a means of correction.

In western world where child right law are been enforced, we see that children who get violated have a voice that speaks for them through the social welfare agencies, but in Africa even if these agencies are been put in place, our African beliefs and culture will not let them function properly:
There is a saying that goes:

“Spare the rod and Spoil the child”

In Africa this makes us belief that, if a child does something wrong if you don’t beat the child up you are spoiling the child.
Africans belief that if you give the child power they tend to go wayward like some children in western countries, where a child can tell the parent to shut up and get out of their room and they will obey because of the child's rights.
But our African parents will never take that.
What we Africans don’t know is that most of our actions in correcting our children are violently done thereby affecting the child mentally, emotionally and psychologically and we don’t know because they cannot express themselves.
Most of these children who suffer these child violence are mostly children who:

• are from poor homes
• are house helps or house keepers
• are orphanage children.

We should note that:
• Coming from a very poor background does not give a child the right to be violated by people from rich homes

Or
• Children who are house helps or house keepers in our homes are not ment to be violated because they are our house helps
Or
• Because a child is an orphan does not give him/her the right to be violated
Everybody on the planet have equal rights to be treated equally.

There are other forms of correcting a child other than beating or molesting the child.

Most of us contribute to the violation of children in the sense that, when we see someone violating a child, we do not speak up for that child because he/she is not related to you thereby contributing to the violence being inflicted on that child.

Violence against children take several forms that we might not know, and we see them as a means of correction.
Recently I attended a sensitization training on “End Violence against Children by CCN/UNICEF and I realize that, there are various forms of violence against children that we don’t know and we indulge in them even I myself I’m a victim of these things like using harsh and abusive words on a child.

Violence Against Children can be grouped under three major headings:

1. Physical Violence: # this include

Punching, kicking, whipping, beating with an object, choking, smothering, trying to drawn, burning intentionally or using threatening to use a gun, knife or other weapons.

1. Sexual Violence: # this include

All forms of sexual abuse and exploitation, this encompasses a range of acts including unwanted, complete sex act (rape), attempted non-consensual sex acts, abusive sexual contact (unwanted touching), non-contact sexual abuse (Threatened sexual violence, exhibitionism, verbal sexual harassments). Inducement or coercion of a child to engage in any unlawful or physiologically harmful sexual activity exploitative use of children in pornographic performance and materials.

1. Emotional Violence: # This include

Being ridiculed or put down, being told you were unloved or did not deserve’ to be lured or that someone wished you were dead or have never been born.

All these forms of violence are been perpetuated by our mothers, fathers, and relatives without knowing it implication on the child.

In Nigeria, research by the NPC reveals that every year millions of children in Nigeria suffer physical, sexual and emotional violence, ending violence against children is not just a child protection or child’s right issue and a moral imperative. Failure to invest in tackling violence against children leads to substantial social and economic losses (estimated at 2-8% of GDP). There is also a growing evidence base to demonstrate that preventing violence can promote economic growth.

So, I employ all Africans, Nigerians and the rest of the world to be advocate against child violence, we should stop it and make our society a better place for our children.

Please Upvote, Re-steem and Comment on the different forms of violence that we are not aware of on this post so that people would be aware of these dangerous act been perpetuated by people around us.

ITS TIME TO TAKE ACTION

LET END VIOLENCE AGAINST CHILDREN

IF YOU SEE SOMETHING # ..........# SAY SOMETHING

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