By Fredrick Nwanji

I came across these sordid images of the 11 year old girl who was rescued by activist Gwamnishu Harrison in Awka Anambra state. While details are still coming in at the time of writing this article I thought it wise to educate Nigerians on this atrocious and illegal acts called child abuse and child labor.

Child Abuse

Child abuse takes many forms and among the list is Emotional, Physical , Neglect and Sexual abuse. For the purpose of this article I will be focused on child physical abuse.

Nigeria’s Child’s Rights Act of 2003 in particular Part II of the Act lists out the rights of the Nigerian child. They are:

1.    Right to survival and development.  

2.    Right to name.  

3.    Freedom of association and peaceful assembly.  

4.    Freedom of thought, conscience and religion.  

5.    Right to private and family life.   

6.    Right to freedom of movement.  

7.    Right to freedom from discrimination.  

8.    Right to dignity of the child.  

9.    Right to leisure, recreation and cultural activities.  

10.  Right to health and health services.  

11.  Right to parental care, protection and maintenance.  

12.  Right of a child to free, compulsory and universal primary education, etc.  

13.  Right of a child in need of special protection measure.  

14.  Right of the unborn child to protection against harm, etc

A brief look into the specific section of the law that pertains to Child Abuse is as follows:

Section 11 of the above act “Right to dignity of the child” states:

“Every child is entitled to respect for the dignity of his person, and accordingly, no child shall be‐  

(a) subjected to physical, mental or emotional injury, abuse, neglect or maltreatment, including sexual abuse; 

(b)  subjected to torture, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment;  

(c)  subjected to attacks upon his honor or reputation; or  

(d)  held in slavery or servitude, while in the care of a parent, legal guardian or school authority or any other person or authority having the care of the child

From the above it is clear that the rights of the young abused child pictured above have been infringed upon and it’s in the interest of justice that redress is granted to her.

Child Labour

Just like child abuse highlighted above child labor is another common scourge the average Nigerian child faces. According to the International Labour Organization, the number of working children under the age of 14 in Nigeria is estimated at 15 million. While it is understandable that the prevailing poverty in Nigeria is a likely factor that influences this, it becomes a problem when you realize many of this child laborers work and remit the proceeds to a parent or guardian. From under-aged pure water & orange hawkers on Nigerian roads to the under aged house helps and maids that serve Nigerians in their homes, these are the child laborers we’ve all come in contact with.

(Image of children hawking source:Buzz Nigeria/Chiamaka Okoh)

Nigerian Law prohibits child labour. Section 28 of the Child’s Rights Act states:

Prohibition of exploitative labour (1) Subject to this Act, no child shall be‐  

(a)  subjected to any forced or exploitative labour; or  

(b)  employed to work in any capacity except where he is employed by a member of his family on light work of an agricultural, horticultural or domestic character; or  

(c)  required, in any case, to lift, carry or move anything so heavy as to be likely to adversely affect his physical, mental, spiritual, moral or social development; or  

(d)  employed as a domestic help outside his own home or family environment.  

(2) No child shall be employed or work in an industrial undertaking and nothing in this subsection shall apply to work done by children in technical schools or similar approved institutions if the work is supervised by the appropriate authority.  

(3) Any person who contravenes any provision of subsection (1) or (2) of this section commits an offence and is liable on conviction to a fine not exceeding fifty thousand naira or imprisonment for a term of five years or to both such fine and imprisonment. 

The law of Nigeria is clear from the above about the punishment for the crime of child labour. I can only hope Nigerians that do it will take heed and desist from such acts. The rights of the Nigerian child needs to be protected for they are the future of Nigeria.

I’m Fredrick Nwanji and I’m a Lawyer.

By Matthew Hassan Kukah

I have consistently tried to create levels of differentiation between democracy and dictatorship, especially dictatorships of the military variant as we have had in our country. I have argued that Nigeria is still very far away from the goal posts of what could be called a democratic society. In my view, the environment does not as yet look anything democratic because the actors are largely strangers to the ethos and what is more, too many of them are tied to the old order, not to talk of the fact that the presence of General-presidents suggest that we are still in the thrall of militarism.

Democracy thrives on debate, consensus building, negotiation, persuasion, argumentation, rule of law, process, and inclusion. The military thrives in a coup culture, secrecy, betrayal, violence, command structure, exclusion and lack of transparency. That explains why I have always warned against describing the current charade of violent elections as democracy.

I have illustrated on several occasions that many among us arrived at Democracy’s altar by parachutes, funded by moneybags, cliques and cults. It is therefore no surprise that we have seen no difference from those who claim to be democrats in terms of the strong-arm tactics that we associated with a militarized environment. Our ‘democrats’ have had no problems with what Noam Chomsky would refer to as resorting to manufactured consent when it comes to elections. They have rented the same crowds, contrived the same outcomes as the old order, seducing the people by bribery rather than persuasion and debate.

Like the false feathers of Icarus, every day, the drama of the fraud called democracy is re-enacted as the masks occasionally fall off and we see the real face of fascism that hides behind it all. When they sense that we want to test their mandate through closely monitored elections, they threaten that we will receive either coffins or body bags in return. Every day, the evidence is before us suggesting clearly that, in the mind of those to whom we have entrusted our future, democracy is merely a heuristic device to perpetuate their grip on power, a bad portfolio investment that fears scrutiny. All the State Assemblies, at best glorified cemeteries of silence inhabited by puppets, are cowed to silence and submission as they munch their crumbs.

The recent outrage by the Minister of Information, Mr. Lai Mohammed over public reaction to the Social Media Bill, is illustrative of the point I am making that not all who call themselves democrats appreciate the enormous burden that goes with the claim today. The minister has used some rather harsh and divisive words that suggest some contempt for the voices and views of those whose labours and sacrifices brought him and his government to where they are. His language is disrespectful, appalling and illustrative of the highhandedness that suggests that we are not in a democracy. The language is as intolerant as it is alienating. The Minister says that no amount of threat, blackmail etc will dissuade the government from going ahead with the social mediabill because it is borne out of patriotism. Really?

There are many questions begging for answers here. Is this the language of people who understand or have really imbibed and internalized the spirit and fine principles of democracy? If we must do your will or face the wrath of government, then, this suggests two things: First, we must obey you and government because we are subservient to you and government. We must be answerable to you not the other way round. We must, because if we don’t, we can be penalized by imprisonment for daring to question its wisdom or seek to have an input in a law that concerns us. When did we surrender our rights and voices to government if we are not heading to totalitarian rule? It looks like and smells like it. Is Mr. Mohammed a lawyer who is a politician or a politician who is a lawyer? In an ideal situation, the former should reinforce the latter.

At this point, I would rather side with President Muhammadu Buhari who has been far more honest about his deficient democratic credentials. I have heard the president on at least three occasions complain that democracy is definitely not his strong jacket. To him, democracy is an irritant, a nuisance that he is compelled to live with. To paraphrase the President: ‘When I was a military man, I arrested all the thieves and put them in protective custody. I asked them to go and prove their innocence. Now, I have been told that even though I can see the thieves, I cannot arrest them. I must take them to court and prove that they are guilty.’

I admire the fact that the president has illustrated that his conversion to democracy was not like Paul on the road to Damascus. His tentative conversion to democracy did not come with a confession of his sins (of staging a coup), a promise not to do that again and then a plea for absolution and the acceptance of the required penance! In honesty, the president says he prefers to work with ‘those he knows, not those who know’, so we can forgive him. But notothers.

Mr Mohammed has climbed a moral high horse, claiming that he is motivated by higher and noble values of protecting the rest of us from a hovering scarecrow of evil, the social media. This is a low level fence erected to hide the construction of a wall of tyranny, fascism and totalitarianism. All tyrants and fascists started with the most noble of intentions, composing panegyric lullabies in praise of patriotism. But, as the old saying goes, patriotism is often the last refuge of scoundrels. Sooner than later, they will start the witch-hunt. This is why the radical American intellectual and activist, Lillian Hellman, who lived under the witch hunting era of McCarthyism, titled her memoirs, ‘Scoundrel Time!’

To be sure, there is no one, including myself, who is not aware of the dangers posed by the social media. We have all been victims. However, should the government wish to address this matter legally and openly, why should they be afraid of a public debate? It is desirable that we address the social media by way of education, open debate and transfer of knowledge. When did the social media become sinister in the eyes of the government? Is it after the same government used it that they now realise that it was good for them then, but bad for the rest of us now?

No citizen should be compelled to obey bad laws. Patriotism is not a commodity of exchange. I have lived long in this country, been engaged long enough to know that the degree of patriotism of office holders is often in direct proportion to the opportunities that they have. Today’s Buhariphiles will develop Buhariphobia when they lose their position. Against the backdrop of the rumours and whispers about term limits, do we know where this is going?

Finally, we must all concede that technology is here to stay. All we can do is to try to make it work for us. Like their explorer grandfathers before them, both Mark Zuckerberg (Facebook) and Jack Dorsey (Twitter) have shone their light. They know what they have seen in Nigeria and Mr. Dorsey says he plans a longer stay in future.They have seen opportunity in an incredibly energetic and brilliant youth and they are prepared to pour investment into them. What do those who govern us see? Afraid of their shadows, they see in their own Youth, trouble and threats to the quicksand into which they have buried their selfish ambitions. They want to kill these dreams by thinking of a Bill to protect us from Hate speech and so on.

There is absolutely no doubt that we face a difficult future with what to do with the social media. A people so badly governed will use anything to express their frustration and sadly, this is what makes us all victims of hate speech. The greatest expression of hate is those who use the power in their hands to divide us by favouring or excluding others based on religion, gender, political affiliation or social class. They are the real reason why our people have remained diminished.

It is a measure of who we are and the premium we place on life that anyone would dream of suggesting a death sentence for the propagation of Hate speech. Surely, unscrupulous and immoral theft of humungous resources belonging to all of us by our politicians is more damaging to our society than any Hate speech. It is like comparing saliva and a dam. A clear conscience fears no accusation. Technology, developed by humans, still has inbuilt safety valves that will enable it to correct itself. Threats, arm-twisting or raw bravado will not do. Edward Snowden has shown that the builders of terror can always pull back. It is inefficiency and political corruption that creates the conditions for the social Media to thrive not lack of patriotism.

The ultimate goal of this Bill is not to punish those who offend, but those who offend government or those in government. Again, here, we have to fall back on the president’s sense of honesty. When he promulgated Decree 2, the focus was to punish journalists who made public officers uncomfortable. Again, on this note, the President has not changed his mind set at all. Therefore, when the sponsors of this Bill claim that it is for our own good, they are borrowing our mouths to eat onions. If the government gets away with it, we have no idea what else will be on the table. Only a robust debate can cure the claims of cynicism.

The Government has all the laws it needs to fight any form of crime and individuals can fall back on it. This Bill is redundant, stale, superfluous and a fraud. We must fight it with all our energy. It is rotten yoghurt being marketed beyond its expiration date. We should reject it as a totalitarian attempt to circumscribe our hard earned freedom.

Kukah is theCatholic Bishop of Sokoto Diocese

By Dolapo Aina

This is a 2015 article but as Nigeria joins the rest of the world to mark the 16 days of activism against Gender-Based Violence it is worth reproducing.

According to the Oxford Advanced Learner’s dictionary; domestic violence is defined as violence between members of the same family. It can also be defined as violence that/which occurs in the home or can be referred to as a pattern of abusive behaviour between intimate partners. In Lagos, acts that constitute domestic violence include; physical abuse, emotional verbal and psychological abuse, economic abuse and exploitation, sexual exploitation including rape, incest and sexual assault, denial of basic education, intimidation, harassment, stalking, damage to property, deprivation, entry into complainants residence without consent where parties do share the same residence.

Domestic violence and abuse in its entirety is viewed somewhat as a controversial issue in Nigeria; not brought to the fore or talked about in the public domain. No thanks to the culture of pretence in the society. This piece would not tow that line or thinking of pretence which has permeated this society.

Now, domestic violence and abuse in Nigeria tends to be accompanied with the “it is a family affair and it is not my business or your business” rhetoric until the abused or abuser is fatally incapacitated or killed; as several reports tend to reveal. When one picks up some dailies with a social section or read some popular blogs; known for gossip news items; usually it is not out of place to come across domestic violence news items. When the “it is a family affair” rhetoric comes up; you tend to find that family members of the abused or abuser tend to hush-hush the crime, given the society we live in. For those who know domestic violence is now a crime. And known as the Violence Against Persons Prohibition Act.

At a gathering on Thursday, the 27^th of November 2014, organised by ACTS Generation (www.actsgeneration.org; a gender based violence and abuse advocate, counselling, restoration organization); which was tagged International Conference on Domestic Violence, Sexual Assault and Trafficking. The issue of domestic violence is quite an alarming problem which is tearing at the delicate fabric of society through the home but it would appear it is not given the needed attention. But we can not deny the fact that it is easy to spot individuals (especially women) who are physically abused in their homes; the same can not be said for those suffering emotional domestic violence etc.

During the event, the executive director of ACTS Generation; Laila Jean St Matthew-Daniel in her speech stated that physical and sexual violence are two main forms of violence that women and young girls are often subjected to, both in the public and private spheres. While physical violence is the use of physical force with weapons that are visible (eg hand, knife, gun stick etc); sexual violence is any form of non-consensual or forced sexual activity which includes rape, incest etc. Both forms of violence are carried out with the intent to cause bodily harm, suffering and psychological trauma to women and young girls.

On human trafficking; Mrs Laila Jean St Matthew-Daniel said that human trafficking is estimated to be a $32billion annual industry and is a type of slavery that involves the transport or trade of people for the purpose of work. According to the United Nations, about 2.5million people around the world are ensnared in the web of human trafficking at any given time. Human trafficking impacts people of all backgrounds and people are trafficked for a variety of purposes. Men are often trafficked into hard labour jobs, while children are trafficked into labour positions in textile, agriculture and fishing industries. Women and girls are typically trafficked into commercial sex industry.

Mrs Laila Jean St Matthew-Daniel further posited that sex trafficking or slavery is the exploitation of women and children, within national or across international borders, for the purposes of forced sex work. Commercial sexual exploitation includes pornography, prostitution and sex trafficking. Each year, it is estimated that 800,000 women and children are trafficked across international borders.

Also, she posited that “some sex trafficking is highly visible, such as street prostitution. But many trafficking victims remain unseen, operating out of unmarked brothels in unsuspecting and sometimes suburban neighbourhoods. Sex traffickers may also operate out of public and private locations such as massage parlours, spas and strip clubs.”

My knowledge of the severity of the scourge called domestic violence was further illuminated when other female speakers spoke. A lot chorused that women’s rights should not be trampled upon by religious doctrines or using religion to violate women. A lady opined that views have been globalised and the downside of this is that a lot of these global values are detrimental. A lot of elements in global culture have dehumanised women’s bodies. Some global values have made a lot of young women believe they need to dress indecently. Global culture professes the glorification of indecently dressed ladies which is a ready excuse for some men to violate and harass them.

Other speakers opined that gender-based violence “are mostly perpetuated against women and young girls by people that they know, love and trust.” A speaker reported that some years ago, a research in South West Nigeria; discovered that apart from rape; South West women fear verbal abuse. And that cultural values and norms in Nigeria serve to condone the impunities of a lot of people. One of the revealing facts that shocked me was the fact that when gender/domestic violence occur; a lot of Nigerians are guilty of secondary victimization by differentiating between “what happened” and asking the “what did you do?” question.

Another revelation was of a female police officer who was the officer in charge of a special unit called the Family Support Unit at the Adeniji Adele Police Station in Lagos State. Reading through Lagos State Gender Advocacy Team (LASGAT)’s brochure handed to guests at the event; I came across some interesting statements and facts which are quite useful to all (if you can get a copy).

According to the brochure, these Special Police Units are model police stations in Lagos State where grieving parties’ complaints about domestic violence and sexual assaults can be lodged. These special units can be found in the Ilupeju, Isokoko and Adeniji Adele police stations. These units called the Family Support Units (FSU) allow victims or complainants to bypass the charge room and come directly to the unit. And from the Female police officer’s comments, one could deduce that a lot of cases were being handled by her unit.

Some of the speakers posited that for the minimization and eventual eradication of domestic violence (which can be inflicted on women and men), it is apparent that our society or rather Nigerians especially the men-folk need a new definition of masculinity.

They went further to state that there is no place for those who demean and abuse the place of girls and women. Men are not born violent but learn it. Also, the society should not hide behind religion and cultural beliefs to violate women. Real men don’t raise hands against women. Also, women in the corridors of the corporate and government worlds should begin to influence the decision making processes of the government in relation to the rights of women. Also, laws bordering on gender/domestic violence have to be strengthened-where found weak.

In East Africa (a region I am familiar with), the society empowers women (whether they are independent or not); ours doesn’t empower independent women (it must be frustrating for an independent lady who isn’t empowered.) We need to begin to have a shift in this regard. Also, the society should not hide behind religious and cultural beliefs to violate women. Those experiencing domestic violence and abuse should speak out and break the silence. Domestic violence and abuse is not a “family affair.” It is a crime against the state. As at 2014, there were over 109 organisations rendering support services in Lagos and their names can be gotten from Lagos State Gender Advocacy Team’s email- [email protected].

On a final note; pertaining to sexual slavery and exploitation (prostitution, adult movies and strip bars etc), which Laila Jean St Matthew-Daniel talked about in her speech at the event; my understanding of this aspect was broadened by some recent findings. My observations concur with that of the executive director of ACTS Generation; Laila Jean St Matthew-Daniel, about such places (synonymous with ladies and silver poles) being abodes of sexual exploitation. With all candour, positing that such places are like sweat shops found in Bangladesh or India would still be putting it mildly.

Honestly, as a society, we have a simmering problem in our hands. Alas, this society pretends and in such matters would want to remain oblivious. We don’t want to believe there is a problem until it hits us in the face. The reality is that this problem of domestic violence and sexual exploitation are simmering and the society should not keep quiet. The society (the government, appropriate laws and citizens) should speak out. Answers to questions like what is the root problem; what are the underlying issues and what would happen if nothing is done; have to be proffered.

By Ikenna Emewu

Nigeria border closure is amazing economics that shuts doors against 13% exports to track and checkmate 4% imports from neighbouring countries into Nigeria.
It is also about Nigeria closing border against 4% imports/smuggling from neighbouring countries while 96% imports from the rest of the world still comes in through the sea and air borders, even smuggled goods.
It’s a war against African neighbour states.
It’s a war that celebrates the inability and failure of the Nigeria Customs to do its work of manning the borders.

We seem to deliberately kill all sectors, including manufacturing to save rice and poultry markets.
In 2002, Obasanjo’s government argued this same way in favour of increase in pump price of petroleum products to deter its illegal move across borders into Niger and Chad. Jackson Gius-Obaseki, NNPC GMD had a career in this ill argument.
And you know who opposed him on this economic illogic? It was Adams Oshiomhole, NLC president, now APC national chairman who supports the be same argument today.

Nigeria never changes or makes progress. It only changes characters in the saddle.