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Lagos state government says it recorded over 2,000 cases of child in 2020.
Data submitted by the Child protection Network to the Lagos state Ministry of Youths and Social Development,said that no fewer than 2674 children suffered the menace since 2020 till date.
Giving the breakdown, the report said that
2,154,and 520 cases were recorded between 2020 and April 2021.
The data further said that sexual (defilement, rape, assault) abuse of children share the highest occurrence at 1005 and 213 in 2020 and 2021 respectively, followed by physical violence which the figure was put at 376 and 94 in both years correspondingly.
This revelation emerged at an ongoing four-day media dialogue with journalists on ethical reporting and advocacy to Eliminate Violence Against Women And Girls organised by Spotlight Initiative Nigeria, Federal Ministry of Information and Culture in partnership with the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF).
The report said 143 (2020)and 45 (2021) children were lost but found, while 150 and 42 of them suffered child labour within the same period, separately.
The number of people who suffered neglect and emotional abuse were 164 (2020) and 44 (2021), while the number of parents who were seeking shelter for their children was put at 195 (2020) and 52 (2021).
Foluke Omoworare, Coordinator, Spotlight Initiative Lagos, noted that children are often violated by people that know them.
Omoworare said: “For Women, perpetrators are mostly spouses and intimate partners (36 percent of ever married women have experienced physical, sexual or emotional violence in the hand of their
spouses.).For children, perpetrators are people that are known to them (parent, caregiver,
teacher, neighbour, etc.)”
She also stated that, one in four girls have experienced sexual violence, adding that, violence is rarely an isolated incident and majority of children surveyed experienced violence on the home.
According to her, women and girls with disabilities are twice as likely to experience violence of any form.
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