TEACHERS’ AND LEARNERS’ JUDGEMENT ON ROOTS AND EFFECTS OF CHILD ABUSE AND THE POTENCY OF SOCIAL STUDIES EDUCATION IN CURBING IT

ABSTRACT

This research investigated the causes and effects of child abuse in Kaduna State and how social studies education will be used to minimize it. To achieve this, three objectives, research questions and hypotheses each were formulated for the study. Survey method of research design was adopted for the study. A total of 293 respondents were involved in the study as sample among lecturers and students. The data for the study was collected using a questionnaire with a reliability coefficient of 0.75. The independent sample t-test of 95% confident interval i.e an alpha level of 0.05 was used to either accept or reject the hypotheses formulated. The null hypotheses were all accepted. The findings of the study revealed that: Ignorance, poverty, broken home, large family size and early marriage are the major cause to child abuse. Based on these findings the following recommendations were proffered: Spouses should be sincere and tolerant to one another so as to avoid separation; Parents should engage themselves in income generating ventures so as to reduce the rate of poverty; Parents should reduce the level of domestic activities/work on their children, and instead encourage them on academic pursuit; and government should increase funding on social research to help fight social vices in our society.

CHAPTER 1

                                                                        INTRODUCTION

           1.1               Background to the Study

Child abuse is a global phenomenon but more common in developing countries.  The problem of child abuse is not only limited to the home environment but rears its head in schools, Places of worship, markets, streets e.t.c. Article 32 of the UN convention on the rights of the child states that “state parties recognize the rights the child to be protected from economic exploitation and from performing any work that is likely to be hazardous or to interfere with child’s health or physical, mental, spiritual, moral or social development” (save the children Denmark 1994) There are numerous cases of child abuse across the globe. This has necessitated the enactment of laws to protect children. For example, in the United States of America, the Texas family code is the basis for civil actions to protect a child from an abuser (such as removal of a child from school). The penal code provides the basis for the criminal prosecution of a person who assault or otherwise commits a crime against a child. The code spelt outs what constitute child abuse to include physical or emotional health and development. Child abuse may take the form of physical or emotional injury, sexual abuses, sexual exploitation, physical neglect, medical neglect or inadequate supervision of a child. The law specifically excluded “reasonable” discipline by the child’s parent, guardian or conservators.

In the traditional African society, the training of a child was the sole responsibility of the parents and the members of the community who had the right to discipline and correct the child whenever they went wrong. The parent trained the child in a way that is suitable and acceptable to the standard of the society. Following the advent of western education and the introduction of nursery and pre-primary schools, parents tend to give over the

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responsibility of guiding, directing, counseling and role modeling of children to the school. Thus, putting more demands on the school to do what the parents should do in addition to their normal school functions. The South African constitution explicitly addresses the right of children and affords them specific protection that every child has the right to be protected from maltreatment, neglect, abuse and/or degradation. The children’s act no. 35 of 2005 and its amendment 41 of 2007 (promulgated in 2010) addresses children’s rights in its entirety. In South Africa, there is mandatory reporting of child abuse to certain professional sectors on any child abuse, neglect or maltreatment that is suspected unreasonable grounds to a designated child protection organization, the provincial department of social development or a police official. The act further stipulates that the department of social development must access and further manage the situation in the best interest of the child. This shows the prevalence of child abuse to all societies.

 

Recently, there has been serious concern about the child with the realization that children play important part in the family and the society. It is generally agreed that children are the future generation, the leaders of tomorrow and the potential flag bearers of any nation. To carry out duties, the child therefore has a certain right that must be protected and not to be trampled upon or denied. In recognition of the socio- cultural and educational dimension of the child, the United nation, European Union, African union, UNICEF and ANPPCAN have joined effort in advocating for protection of the right and well-being of the children. Among other provisions, UNICEF and the National policy on children, grant children the following rights.

• Protection against indecent and inhuman treatment like abuse and neglect
• Provision of a conducive environment to promote early stimulation to learning for the child.
• Entitlement of every child (male/female) to receive compulsory basic education and equal opportunity for higher education.
• Promotion and encouragement of child-friendly principles in all relevant

institution.

The above provision recognizes the importance of education for the optimum development of the child thus advocating for compulsory basic education and the provision of conducive learning environment. Education is therefore recognized has one avenue through which the child can develop properly. Many developing nations place a high premium on the education of their citizens because education is viewed as an instrument for cultural, social, political, economic and technological development and emancipation.

In Nigeria, for instance, education is viewed as a means of building a free

democratic, just an egalitarian society; a united strong and self reliant nation; a land of bright and full opportunities for all citizens (NPE2004). Thus, Nigeria and its entire entire people need a change and growth in education so as to be in line with the developed nations. Presently, education in Nigeria has been made compulsory for children at the basic level and every child is encouraged to take the opportunity of acquiring at least basic education up to the junior secondary levels by most state government. All this are efforts made to protect the basic rights of children. Are parents and children utilizing this opportunity maximally?

Parents now push over the responsibility of caring for their children to the schools. Many young children who will have been at home at about two years have been pushed over to the school. The tax thus become enormous for the teachers and the school management to carry, leading too many children being neglected despised and abused on daily basis. This clearly undermines the provision for the right of the child on protection against indecent and inhuman treatment like abuse and neglect earlier stated. Rather the child has been subjected to all kinds of maltreatment, if not protected, valued nor defended. Most times, the treatment meted out to young children as corrective measures constitutes one form of abuse or the other.

It is evident that child abuse is a serious global problem that is deeply rooted in cultural, economic and social practices and occurs in a variety of ways and places. According to the

National child abuse and neglect data system (NCANDA2006) reported by Gelles (2009) in the United State For instance, more than 900,000 children suffer severe or life threatening injury and some (1000 to 2000) children died as a result of abuse and those who survived often suffer emotional trauma that may take long for the bruises to be healed. In the same vein, our Nigeria society is still plagued with incidences of child labour, child maltreatment, child marriage, and child trafficking, neglect and child prostitution. The effect of such abuses are many and varied including teenage pregnancies/mothers, youth restiveness and violence, cultism, youth decadence, joblessness armed bandit molestation and school dropouts. These menaces have eaten into the life of most Nigerian children.

          1.2.              Statement of the problem

All children are supposed to enjoyed love, care, affection and protection from parents, members of the immediate family, community and government, by providing for their basic needs to which include food, shelter, clothing, right to education, freedom from force labour etc UBE act 2004 in UBE commission 2005. Unfortunately, not all children enjoyed such rights; some are exposed to various types of hardzadous activities such as street begging, walking far distance to collect firewood or fetched water, rigorous farm work and other domestic activities like girls of school age serving as nannies which denied them access to basic education and leading to their abuse. Could this child abuse be attributed to poverty on the part of the parents or as a result of ignorance or over burden of responsibility on the parent or as a result of low level of education? There are many factors that are responsible for child abuse.

However, the effect of child abuse on the abuse children, their parents,

government and society at large is so devastating that it needs to be addressed. The major underlining this study is to determine the extent to which social studies education as a problem solving discipline could be used as a potential instrument for curbing this menace in the society. The study therefore is said to survey the opinion of social studies teachers and students in tertiary institution in Kaduna state regarding the causes and effects of child abuse using social studies as a solution.

 

 

             1.3.        Objectives of the Study

• To find out the causes of child abuse among teachers and students of social studies in Kaduna state.
• To find out the effects of child abuse among teachers and students of social studies in Kaduna state.
• To see how social studies Education could be used to minimize cases of child abuse in Kaduna state.

          1.4 .          Research Questions

The following research questions were raised for the study.

1. What are the causes of child abuse among teachers and students of

Social Studies in Kaduna state?

2. What are the effects of child abuse on the academic achievement of students in Kaduna state?
3. How can social studies education be used to reduce incidences of child abuse in Kaduna state?

          1.5.               Hypotheses

Based on the focus of the problems identified and the research questions raised, the following hypotheses are postulated to guide the researcher in the study

HO₁: There is no significant difference in the opinion of teachers and students on causes of child abuse in Kaduna state.

HO₂: There is no significant difference in the opinion of teachers and students on effects of child abuse in Kaduna State.

HO₃: There is no significant difference in the opinion of teachers and students on how

Social Studies education can be used in reducing child abuse in Kaduna State.

          1.6.                Significance of the Study

This study will be of significant importance to teachers because they are directly involve in handling children and as implementers of the  school curriculum, it will help them to have a vast knowledge in child abuse related cases and the precautionary measures to be taken to create a good conductive learning atmosphere for children in our schools.

To students, the knowledge of what constitute child abuse will help them to know when they are abused and the possible ways to minimize it. Also to parents, knowledge of child abuse will help them to know the danger involved in child abuse and how they can avoid it in other to help the child to be both physically and emotionally stable in school

As community leaders, it will empower them to take necessary legal actions on parents who refused to cater for their children. On the part of the government, it will help the government to make more legislation in other to protect the children from being wasted and constituting a menace to the society in general.

 

          1.7.                Scope of the study

This study is limited to 3 tertiary institutions in Kaduna state which include Kaduna

State College of Education Gidan Waya, Kafachan, Federal Collage of Education, Zaria and Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria that offers Social Studies Education as a course of study at NCE and Degree Levels of Education.

TEACHERS’ AND LEARNERS’ JUDGEMENT ON ROOTS AND EFFECTS OF CHILD ABUSE AND THE POTENCY OF SOCIAL STUDIES EDUCATION IN CURBING IT

 

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