Journal of African Studies and Sustainable Development

Child abuse which refers to any act or failure to act on the part of parents or caretaker which results to in-depth serious physical or emotional harm or sexual abuse or experience negatively affects the future of children and destroys the image of the community in particular and the nation in general. Children suffer from various forms of abuse such as child labour, child marriage, kidnapping, molestation and neglect, among other forms. Consequent upon the fact that children are extremely vulnerable and incapable of defending themselves, it makes them ideal targets for victimization. The consequences of child abuse and negligence are really serious, and in most case do negatively affect the victims and the society in which they live. Beside psychological trauma, it can inflict spiritual wounds on its victims. As research has proved, sometimes it is difficult to detect child abuse, unless one creates an enabling atmosphere that would encourage a disclosure by the child being abused. That is why there is a real need for a successful management based on the prevention of child abuse and the protection of children. Official reports do not capture all cases in which child abuse and neglect is suspected or even detected and acted upon. Many laws and policies have been put in place at national and international levels with the purpose of protecting children from abuse. However, they have not being effective for reasons like poor law enforcement mechanism, corruption, poverty, lack of rehabilitation of sexual offenders, ineffective judicial system, and negative attitude of some parents. The thrust of this article is to trace the origin, explore the development and effects of child abuse.

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