TOWARDS UNDERSTANDING CHILD PROTECTION NEEDS - Part Two

By Osim Jones Usim, ESQ, MCRP, LLM, BL, L.L.B, Executive Director Advocates Centre for Children and Youth Welfare.

APPROACH TO CHILD PROTECTION:

By approach to Child Protection, what is meant is the ability to understand the protection needs of the Child and the steps to take that will guide anyone who wants to prevent abuse of Children.

In 2003 the Child Rights Act, became a law specifically enacted for protecting the rights of Children in Nigeria. The Child Rights Act, can be described as Nigerian version of the United Nation Convention on the Rights of the Child. However, the Child Rights Act took into consideration the specific needs of the child in his/her local settings, because of difference in culture and social orientation.

To embark on a Child Protection Activity, we must therefore understand the type of protection the child needs per time. Protection actual may seek to minimize the risk of the abuse, exploitation and/or neglect. It may also seek to prosecute, and or enforce the rights of the child. Protection activity may also seek to alleviate the immediate effect of the abuse.  In all, Child Protection Activity is an activity which if well embarked upon will help in protecting the right of Children.

CIRCLE OF PROTECTION:

A proverb has it that “it is only in pregnancy that the child belongs to the Mother and Father”. To a certain extent this is a true representation of a nuclear family setting, but as soon as a child is given birth to, he/she ceases to be the responsibility of the nuclear family. It is at this point that circle of protection becomes enlarged to include every player in the protection activity.

In the circle of protection, the most important player is the family on whom the responsibility of care and protection lies. However, protection activities goes beyond the family and extend to the communities: the Local Government, National and International Communities. This explains why we have the presence of international and multinational agencies in child protection activity. It is called a circle of protection because every protection activity resolves around the best interest of the child. This is the real essence of section one of the Nigerian Child Rights Act, 2003, which states that:-

“In every action concerning  a child, whether  undertaken by an individual, public or private body  institutions or service, Court of Law , or Administrative or Legislature Authority, the best interest of the child shall be the primary consideration”.

The circle of protection must be in place at all time if we desire to promote the best interest of the child. Children shall also be given room to participate actively in issues concerning them for a far reaching result in protection activities. Study has shown that when children participate in decision making activities they tend to come out with creative ideas which is free from prejudices because of their innocence.

MEETING THE PROTECTION NEED OF THE CHILD

One seeming challenge in child protection is how to meet the protection needs of the child without falling short of the expectations of the Law. In section 2(1) of the Child Rights Act 2003, the law is specific that:-

“A child  shall be given such protection and care as is necessary for the well-being of the child, taking into account the rights and duties of the child’s parents, legal guardian, or other individual, institutions, services, agencies, organizations or  bodies legally responsible  for the child”.

By the above provision, it is expected that there shall be a multi-faceted collaboration any time protection need of a child is to be met. For instance if there is incidence of sexual abuse of the child, the incident should be reported on time and adequate medical attention given.

Having understood that everyone is a stakeholder in meeting the protection needs of the child, every member of the society is expected to closely monitor the child and his/her actions and reactions, and understanding the fact that children react sharply to any infringement of their rights.

Parents should come down from the pretension of being busy to watch over their children so as to notice little changes in the attitude of the child per time.

The community should establish groups that will ensure that those involved in Child abuse are brought to book having the understanding that it may happen to any Child in the community. Governments and their agencies should be proactive in ensuring that relevant institutions for enforcing the Rights of Children are put in place if the law will not be a lame duck or a dog that can bark without biting.

Government organizations and Non-governmental Organizations are expected to work together to ensure that the law are implemented to the letter.

Finally the Police and other bodies empowered to prevent the abuse of children are to be trained to know the respective duties and steps to be taken in the event of reported cases of abuse at their duty post.