MAY 27th children’s day celebration signifies a special day for every Nigerian children. Its traditionally the children’s holiday in Nigeria. It was established first by the United Nations (UN) in 1964. The day remains important in the lives of many Nigerian kids.
On this day every year, children are granted holiday while several social activities are centred on them. Having school-free day, kids converge at studium and centres to commemorate the event.
It has also become the habit of some government officials and media organizations to honour some children with leadership opportunities. Certain Radio and TV stations do this by featuring child broadcasters on air and letting them anchor programmes for the early part of the day.
Children day is an event celebrated in many places around the world. The holiday is simply set to honour children.
The international children’s day had it origin in Turkey 1920 (April 23, 1920) and later in the World Conference for the well being of the Children in Geneva Switzerland in 1925.
Children’s day was first celebrated world wide in October 1955, under the sponsorship of International Union of Child Welfare in Geneva.
According to media report, it was first proclaimed by the United Nation Geneva Assembly in 1954, it was established to encourage all countries to institute a day, firstly to promote mutual exchange and understanding among children and secondly to initiate action to benefit and promote the welfare of the world’s children. It was also chosen as the day to celebrate childhood.
But for some children, the story is not the same, as they have received abused ranging from physical injuries, abandoned, unkempt and completely hopeless of what the future hold, this children find home in abandoned premises and bridges.
According to medical dictionary, child abuse is also maltreatment, physical, threat sexual or emotional mistreatment and neglect of child.
In many cases children are victims of more than one type of abuse. The abusers can be parents or other family member or even and extended bodies from the same environment which includes:
Physical abuse; This is a non accidental infliction of physical injury to child. The abusers most times are family members, guardian or their teacher.
The injuries can be inflicted by punching, kicking, biking, burning, beating, or use of a weapon such as a base ball bat or knife. Physical abuse can result in bruises, burn, poisoning, broken bones and internal hemorrhages.
Sexual abuse; Is another type of child abuse, it is on activity that occurred before the age of legal consent that is for the sexual gratification of an adult or a significantly older or dominant child.
Sexual behaviours can include touching breast genitals and buttocks while the victim is either dressed or undressed. Sexual abuse also includes exhibitionism, cunnilingus fellatio, or penetration of the virgina or anus with sexual organs or object.
Pornographic photography also is a form of sexual abuse of children. The United State (U.S.) Department of Justice estimates that six victim of a sexual assault are under the age 12. Despite publicity surrounding cases where a child is assaulted by a stranger, almost all sexual abuse against children is perpetrated by a family member or family intimate.
Psychological abuse; This type of abuse encompasses, rejection, ignoring criticizing, belittling humiliating, threatening the child with violence, or otherwise terrorizing the child all of which have the effect of eroding the child self esteem and sense of security.
In Nigeria, the cause of child abuse are to a number of factors such as poverty families who are under pressure and lack of support, lack of educational background, serious marital problem, unemployment and inadequate housing for their children.
These have had so many negative effects on the children, that has led most of them not to have a bright future. This is because of the possibility that they have lived on horrible life and experienced negative problem, as they are growing.
In our society today most of them after struggling, graduate to armed robber and kidnappers tomorrow. You can imagine what these kids who are seen at filling stations, motor parks, and under bridges will be like in the future? These dare devil criminals we have around us today were young delinquents of yesterday. Until the government take the bull by the horn the problems remains.
growing children
