THE PROBLEM OF ADOLESCENTS, CHILD ABUSE AND THE NIGERIAN CHILD

Adolescent face real issues on each day throughout the foremost awkward growth stages of their lives.
They are exposed to some overwhelming external and internal struggles and that is why the stage is
referred to as stress and storm. Adolescents bear, and are expected to address secretion changes, puberty,
social and parental forces, work and college pressure also as encountering several conditions and issues.
Here are some common issues that almost all in all probability additional and fewer, visage by each
adolescent.

Physical problems - Adolescents bear and got to address various body changes like ladies begin their
periods, modification of voice and look of facial hair in boys, growth of bush in ladies and boys, skin
condition and malodorous then on. Development of full breasts in ladies may be awkward within the
starting. Some adolescents feel too fat, too skinny, too tall, too short, etc. and that’s why they begin to
feel aware concerning their figure. The best way you can do to help your adolescent get through the
stage is to make them aware of these changes.

Emotional changes and problems - Hormones affect adolescent not only physically but also
emotionally. Hence the Adolescence is the age between adulthood and childhood, adolescents are often
confused about their role. They tore between their responsibilities as growing adults and their desires as
children. They tend to feel overly emotional. Just about anything and everything can make them happy,
excited, mad or angry. Mood swings are common among adolescent age boys and girls. Feelings of
inferiority or superiority may arise at this time. Adolescent girls are vulnerable to crying. Feelings and
thoughts about sex can trigger a sense of guilt.

Behavioral Problem - Overwhelming emotions can lead to impulsive behavior, which can be harmful
to your child as well as others. Adolescence is the time when kids develop and exercise their
independence. This can give rise to questioning the parents’ rules (seen as argumentative) and standing
up for what they believe is right (seen as stubbornness). They would also want to listen to loud music.
As a part of their new-found independence, adolescents may also want to try new things and take risks,
resulting in careless behavior. Sometimes, peer pressure and the need to ‘fit in’ can make them behave
in a certain way or develop certain habits that are hard to break. The adolescent’s dressing, hairstyle, and
sense of fashion also change. Substance use and lying is one of the common adolescent behavioral

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issues. Adolescents may lie to avoid confrontation with parents or out of fear. Mostly, it is just
adolescent behavior that will last as long as their adolescence.

Substance Use and Abuse – substance use is common as adolescents get older, and about 75% of
adolescents will try alcohol before high school to graduation. Adolescents are vulnerable and can be
easily swayed to the wrong side. Substance abuse is one of the biggest problems that parents of
adolescents around the world have to deal with. Peer pressure and poor self-esteem and the need to be
‘cool’ is one of the significant factors that drive adolescents to take up smoking and drinking or to do
drugs. The tendency to take risk is also encouraging most adolescents to try smoking or drinking even
before they are of legal age.

Educational Problem- Adolescent have a lot of educational activities on their plate. The pressure
drives the students to an extreme point. This might rebound as stress for the student and he or she may
not be able to focus on the things they are supposed to be doing at the moment. Pressure to perform
academically and obtain college admission can be stressful and make your adolescent moody. Juggling
school work, extra-curricular activities (must for college admissions) and chores at home can be tiring.

Health problems -Adolescents are vulnerable emotionally and physically. Without proper nutrition and
healthcare, they are susceptible to illnesses. Adolescents have a hectic schedule as they hop from one
activity to another with little time to eat or rest properly. Unhealthy eating habits prevent them from
getting the nutrition they need. Consciousness about their body can lead to eating disorders, especially in
girls. Adolescent girls who worry about their weight and appearance can develop disorders like anorexia
or bulimia. Stress can also lead to loss of appetite and sleeplessness in young children. Unhealthy eating
habits and a less active lifestyle could also lead to obesity – this is often the case when your child
consumes a lot of empty calories through fast food and sodas.

Psychological problems - Research has revealed that around 50% of mental health disorders that adults
have, begin at the age of 14. In fact, one-third of adolescent deaths are suicides triggered by depression.
Depression is one of the common psychological problems associated with adolescence. Poor
performance in academics and low IQ can also demotivate them. They develop the ‘I’m not good
enough’ attitude towards life. The stress and pressure of adolescence can create anxiety related issues,
while mood swings can lead to conduct disorder or op-positional defiant disorder.

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Social problems – dating and relationships - Adolescence is the time when their sexual or reproductive
organs start developing. This is the time they start dating. Your adolescent may not be comfortable
talking to you about it and may go with little information or misinformation they have about it.
Adolescents also start thinking about what is ‘right’ and ‘wrong’ and question your take on certain
things. Competition is another important aspect of adolescent’s social life. Your child may compete with
her peers in about anything and everything. Their spirit of competition speaks a lot about their
perception of self – whether they have a positive self-esteem or a negative one. Their social circle
expands during this time as they seem occupied interacting with friends on social media sites, through
their phone and outside.

Problem of Sexual health – unplanned pregnancy and STI - The development of secondary sexual
characteristics during adolescence gives rise to new feelings in adolescents and pushes them to
experiment with their bodies. Many adolescents engage in sexual activity but may not be fully informed
about contraception, pregnancy, and sexually transmitted diseases, including human immunodeficiency
virus (HIV) infection. Without proper guidance, adolescents may become sexually active before they are
ready. This could result in unwanted pregnancies. Unwanted pregnancy is the biggest risk that
adolescent girls face. Pregnant adolescents and their partners tend to drop out of school or job training,
thus wording their economic status, lowering their self-esteem, and straining personal relationship.

Addiction to cyberspace - The advent of social media has changed the way we interact with each other.
It has affected adolescent age lifestyles the most. The latest edition of bullying is cyber bullying. Cyber
addiction can be just as harmful as addiction to drugs or drinking alcohol. Addiction to cyberspace also
cuts short their physical activities, resulting in an unhealthy and sedentary lifestyle and it also adversely
impacts academic performance. Adolescents addicted to the internet tend to have fewer friends and a
less active social life. They lead solitary lives and are happy browsing the internet for hours. Those who
have IAD conditions may experience distress, withdrawal symptoms including obsessive thoughts,
tremors, and other mental and physical problems.

Aggression and violence – During adolescence, the frequency and severity of violent interactions may
increase. Aggression is especially a concern with adolescent boys. Young boys start to develop muscles,
grow tall and have a coarser, manly voice. In addition to that, they are moody and vulnerable and can let
others get under their skin. Worse, they could start bullying others, which is a major problem that

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adolescent boys and girls have to deal with. Factors contribute to an increased risk of violence for
adolescents, including Gang membership, substance use, poverty etc. Impulse acts of violence can lead
to serious consequences, including death. Adolescent age girls are likely to suffer violence or aggression
by a partner.
Others are:
 Bullying
 Drug abuse
 Sexual activity
 Alcohol use
 Obesity
 Social media
 On screen violence

Child Abuse and Nigerian Child

Definition
Child abuse is any form of maltreatment by an adult, which is violent or threatening for the child.
The World Health Organization (WHO) defines child abuse as all forms of physical and/or emotional
ill-treatment, sexual abuse, neglect or negligent treatment or commercial or other exploitation, resulting
in actual or potential harm to the child's health, survival, development or dignity in the context of a
relationship, responsibility, trust and power.

Forms of Child Abuse

1. Physical Abuse Physical abuse may be defined as any non-accidental physical injury to the child.
It may include various acts such as punching, shaking, kicking, burning, beating, hitting or other
acts that harms a child. There may not be an intention to hurt by the parents or the caretaker but
sometimes it may be resulted due to over-discipline or physical punishment which may not be
appropriate to the age of the child.
2. Sexual Abuse: Child sexual abuse is a form of child abuse in which an adult or older adolescent
abuses a child for sexual stimulation. Sexual abuse refers to the participation of a child in a
sexual act aimed toward the physical gratification or the financial profit of the person committing
the act. It is termed as inappropriate sexual behaviour with a child. It may be in form of fondling

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 a child’s genitals, intercourse, making the child to fondle the adult’s genitals, incest, rape
sodomy, sexual exploitation and exhibitionism.
3. Child Marriage: Child marriage is the practice in which children are married to adults. A variety
of rights are violated by child marriage including the right to equality on grounds of sex and age,
the right to marry and start a family, the right to life, the right to the highest attainable standard
of health. and the right to education. Child marriage is more common in rural communities
because such communities tend to have traditional attitudes deeply entrenched in customs, which
are not easily altered by external influences. Nigeria is no exception to the prevalence of child
marriage in rural communities, especially in the country’s Northern states. Female children are
given away in marriage at a young age to increase the wealth of family members through the
payment of bride prices. Child marriage exposes children to adverse health effects and deprives
them of the childhood-time that is necessary for them to develop physically, emotionally, and
psychologically.
4. Female Genital Mutilation: The World Health Organization (WHO) defines Female Genital
Mutilation (FGM) as “procedures that involve partial or total removal of the female external
genitalia, or other injuries to the female genital organs for cultural or any other non-therapeutic
reasons. FGM is rooted in cultural beliefs and traditions that have been in existence for several
decades and are difficult to change. For example, it is believed that FGM fosters cleanliness and
enhances male pleasure. Some communities also believe that if a woman’s clitoris is not
removed, it will result in the death of a baby during childbirth, if it touches the baby’s head. All
types of FGM have immediate health complications including infection, pain due to the cutting
of nerves and sensitive genital tissues, shock, excessive bleeding, and death. Potential long-term
complications include chronic pain, infertility, sexual dysfunction, and other obstetric
complications.
5. Molestation: Molestation involves the forcing or enticing of a child to take part in sexual
activities, but does not necessarily involve a high level of violence. The child may or may not be
aware of what is happening. The activities may involve either physical contact or non-contact
activities. Molestation can have lifelong effects on children that result in which a variety
resulting in the possible exhibition of many symptoms such as, anxiety, bed-wetting, insomnia,
nightmares, depression, suicidal behaviours, and eating disorders.
6. Neglect and Negligent Treatment: Neglect can be defined as ‘any serious act or omission by a
person having the care of a child that, within the bounds of cultural tradition, constitutes a failure

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 to provide conditions that are essential for the healthy physical and emotional development of a
child. There are several categories of neglect: supervisory neglect, emotional neglect, physical
neglect, medical neglect, educational neglect and abandonment. The failure to make arrangement
for the basic needs of the child is termed as neglect.
7. Emotional Abuse: Emotional abuse is a type of abuse that you can experience in an abusive
relationship. Although it doesn’t leave you with physical scars, it can have a huge impact on your
confidence and self-esteem. Emotional abuse comes in many forms, which might not be obvious
at first. Emotional abuse is an attempt to control in just the same way that physical abuse is an
attempt to control another person. The only difference is that the emotional abuser does not use
physical hitting, kicking, pinching, grabbing, pushing, or other physical forms of harm. Rather
the perpetrator of emotional abuse uses emotion as his/her weapon of choice. It is also known as
the verbal maltreatment, mental abuse and psychological maltreatment. It includes both acts and
failures to act by parents or caretakers. It causes or can cause serious, emotional, behavioural,
cognitive or mental trauma. It may include extreme strange form of punishment for example
confinement on a closet or dark room, threatening or terrorizing a child or being tied to a chair
for long periods.
8. Child Exploitation: Exploitation is the act of using a minor child for profit, labor, sexual
gratification, or some other personal or financial advantage. Child exploitation often results in
cruel or harmful treatment of the child, as the activities he or she may be forced to take part in
can cause emotional, physical, and social problems. To explore this concept, consider the
following child exploitation definition. Unfortunately, there is a large market and interest in
using children of all ages for cheap labor, sexual purposes, child pornography, and other
purposes. Many individuals taking part in child exploitation do it because there is a large profit
to be made, essentially selling the services of children, or the children themselves, to others.
Others use children to create child pornography, or for personal sexual gratification.
a. Sexual Exploitation of a Child: Sexual exploitation of a child is defined as the act of employing,
using, persuading, inducing, enticing, or coercing a minor child to engage in sexually explicit
conduct for the purpose of producing visual depictions. Actual acts that are considered sexual
exploitation of a child include: Indecent touching or exposure of or to a child, Use of sexually
explicit language towards a child, Involvement of a child in pornography, Showing a child
pornographic material, Early, forced marriage, Rape, Incest, Sexual slavery Sexual exploitation

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 of a child also includes transportation of a minor from one state to another, or to a foreign
territory, with the intent of engaging the child in any of the acts listed above.
b. Economic Exploitation of a Child: Economic exploitation of a child, also referred to as “criminal
exploitation of a child,” refers to the use of a child in any way for economic gain. This often
includes child labor, child slavery, child sex tourism, and even the “sale” or illegal adoption of
children for profit. Children are often used to help sell and distribute illegal drugs, and in some
war-ridden countries, children are recruited as soldiers, and forced to fight.
9. Kidnapping: Kidnapping is the “unlawful detainment of persons, either by force or fraud, and the
undisclosed relocation against their will, usually to extract ransom.” Kidnapping has caused a
great deal of mental and emotional trauma for victims and their relatives. It violates their rights
to life, freedom of movement, and freedom from inhuman and degrading treatments. Also,
children are not exempt from the spate of kidnapping in recent times. Categories of kidnapping
are: kidnapping for extortion; kidnapping between or within criminal groups; kidnapping for
sexual exploitation; kidnapping linked to domestic or family disputes; revenge kidnapping and
kidnapping for political or ideological purposes. The menace of kidnapping is attributed to
unemployment, poverty, greed, high level of crime, corruption, a history of conflict, and
instability.