TABLE OF CONTENTS
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.1 Background
to the Study
1.2 Statement of the
Problems
1.3 Purpose of the Study
1.4 Significance
of the Study
1.5 Scope of the study
1.6 Operational definition of terms
CHAPTER TWO
LITERATURE REVIEW
2.0 Introduction
2.1 The concept of child Abuse and Neglect
among Parents
2.1.1 Causes of Child Abuse
2.1.2 Effects of Child Abuse
Child Neglect: Outcome
2.1.3 Concept of Child Rearing in Yoruba Culture
2.1.4 Child parenting in the western world (Yoruba Culture)
2.1.5 Religion and Child Abuse: Nigeria Experience
2.1.6 The
provision of the child right law (CRL), 2006.
2.1.7 Right of Registration and Nationality
2.1.8 Attachment Theory of a
Child
2.1.9 Etiological Models of
Child Maltreatment
2.2 Concept of Emotional
intelligence
2.2.1 The Origins of Emotional Intelligence
2.2.2 Using emotions in adaptive ways.
2.2.3 Bar-On: A Mixed Model of Emotional
Intelligence
2.2.4 Evaluations
of the alternative models to Emotional intelligence
(E.I).
2.3 Concept of Academic
Self-Efficacy
2.3.1 Antecedents of Self-Efficacy
2.3.3 Consequences of Self-Efficacy
2.3.3 Social Cognitive Theory
2.4 Concept
of socio-economic status (SES)
2.4.1 Theories of Socioeconomic status (SES).
2.5 Empirical Perspective
2.6 Research Questions
CHAPTER THREE
RESEARCH
METHODOLOGY
3.0 Introduction
3.1 Research Design
3.2 Study Population
3.3 Sample Selection and Sampling Techniques
3.4 Research Instruments
3.5 Administration of the Instruments
3.6 Method of Data Analysis
CHAPTER FOUR
RESULT AND SUMMARY OF
FINDINGS
4.2 Research
Question 2:
4.5
Summary
of Findings
CHAPTER
FIVE
DISCUSSION, CONCLUSION AND
RECOMMENDATION
5.0 Introduction
5.1 Discussion
of the findings
5.2 Recommendations
5.3 Conclusion
5.4 Limitations
of the study
5.5
Suggestion
for Further Studies
REFERENCES
3.3 Sample Selection and Sampling Techniques
3.4 Research Instruments
3.5 Administration of the Instruments
3.6 Method of Data Analysis
CHAPTER FOUR
RESULT AND SUMMARY OF
FINDINGS
4.2 Research
Question 2:
4.6
Summary
of Findings
CHAPTER
FIVE
DISCUSSION, CONCLUSION AND
RECOMMENDATION
5.0 Introduction
5.1 Discussion
of the findings
5.2 Recommendations
5.3 Conclusion
5.4 Limitations
of the study
5.6
Suggestion
for Further Studies
REFERENCES
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.1 Background
to the Study
The difficulty
researchers confront in defining an appropriate' perspective from which to
study the parenting of abused and neglected children stems in part from our
currently incomplete understanding of the dynamics of parental functioning. The
human potentials realized in the parental role are often reduced to the
singular notion that it is the capacity to love which provides the motivation,
resilience, and understanding to nurture a child. Yet, loving parents can
understand and treat their children in very different ways. Studies of family
violence suggest that the emotional investments of parenthood remain highly
vulnerable to the stresses and demands of child rearing. There is a clear need
in the current literature for closer analysis of the individual capabilities,
developed during childhood, adolescence, and adulthood, which may importantly
influence parental ability to adapt to these demands. This study will report
research analyzing parental conceptions of children and the parent-child
relationship, a dimension of social-cognitive functioning referred to as parental awareness. This
domain of parent-as-self child-as- other knowledge will be viewed from a
structural-developmental perspective.
The United Nations
Convention on the Rights of the Child was adopted by the United Nations General
Assembly in 1989. The convention affirms children’s entitlement to development,
protection, participation and nondiscrimination. It also acknowledges that the
realization of these rights for children can only be accomplished through care
and assistance of adults. Nigeria ratified the UN Convention on the Child’s
Rights in 1991. This implies that thenceforth the country had committed itself
to a code of binding obligations towards her children. Among these obligations
are the raising of awareness and the involvement of the civil society,
including children, in the realization of children’s rights. Following the
submission of her initial progress report, the Committee on Children’s Rights
recommended, among other things, that the country should domesticate the
Convention in order to facilitate its implementation under Nigerian law
(UNICEF, 2007; Jacomy and Stevens, 2005). The Nigerian Federal Government
enacted the Child's Rights Act (CRA) in December 2003.
This
legislation was adopted to implement principles enshrined in international
instruments, including the 1989 Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) and
the 1990 African Union Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child (CRCW),
which Nigeria ratified in 1991 and 2000, respectively. Since the Nigerian
Constitution mandates that the legislative jurisdiction on matters affecting
children belongs exclusively to states, the federal law was insufficient as a
means to extend protection to all Nigerian children and, therefore, needed to
be adopted by the states. Today many states in Nigeria have adopted the Child’s
Rights Act even though some states are yet to adopt the Act. Olumodeji (2008)
is of the view that child welfare matters should be issues of urgent concern in
any society. This is because according to him, the total import of the needs of
the child is predicated on a holistic treatment modality that will affect
education, nutrition, housing, health, and the general well-being of the
society. In meeting these basic needs, societies have often tended to regard
those of the child as merely secondary. However, this should not be so because
the child is the future of any society.
Akwara
et al (2010) believe that the right of the child is being taken for granted in
Nigeria. In their study, they examined the dangers posed by taking the rights
of children for granted in the society and efforts being made in Nigeria to
protect the child for the overall and sustainable development of the society.
Based on the outcome of their study, they concluded that not much is being done even though children
are the future of any nation. According to Njoku and Oladiji (2009), the
challenges facing children in the 21st century are immense and will need to be
faced if we are to achieve the goal of the Child’s Rights Act. Scholars have
put forward different views as to why children’s rights are not being
protected. In a study Lachman et al (2002) found that one of the challenges
facing child protection in Africa is poverty. In other words it will be
difficult to protect children’s right if there is poverty, because a poor
person will use all that is within his/her disposal for survival. One of the
instruments for survival that are usually within the disposal of most people
is/are their child/children. Therefore Lachman et al (2002) opined that child
labour, child prostitution and other child related ills cannot be wished away
as long as poverty exist.
Sossou
and Yogtib (2008) in their study outlined various incidents of child sexual
abuse, child trafficking, child marriage, and neglect of disabled children in
the African continent and concluded that poverty and traditional cultural
practices are the main causes of these phenomena. Onyango and Lynch (2006)
reports that despite various efforts to improve legislation and the policy
framework to protect children, the resources needed to make a real difference
are inadequate and unpredictable. According to them, there has, for example,
been an increase in the number of cases of sexual abuse reported in Kenya, but
funds available to prosecute these cases are not available. Funds made
available for child welfare during 2005/2006 in Kenya according to them have
been primarily directed by donors towards the prevention of human trafficking
and alleviation of poverty. Indeed Onyango and Lynch (2006) believe that
children issues are affected on a yearly basis as a result of availability of
funds which is equally dependent on the interests of donors. In Nigeria today,
although 26 states have ratified, adopted or adapted the Act but the
implementation has continued to be a problem. Scholars believe that one of the
problems why it is difficult to implement the Act is because people are not
aware of the Act nor do they have knowledge of the basic provisions of the Act.
Furthermore,
the Director General of the Legal Aid Council in Nigeria, Mrs. Joy Bob-Manuel
is of the view that the Child’s Rights Act has not received sufficient
awareness and acceptance since its domestication because of a general but undue
apathy as a result of lack of understanding and full appreciation. According to
her, the child as a vulnerable member of the society falls into special needs
group and must not be left without proper care and it is this objective that
the CRA sets out to achieve (Bamgboye,
2011). They therefore believe that there is need for a public awareness
campaign to increase awareness of the child’s rights. According to them, public
awareness is the foundation on which understanding and empowerment are built.
This is because greater public awareness can lead to: increase political will,
implementation and monitoring, increased advocacy, positive proactive response
to advocacy by adult members of the society, realization of children’s rights
and improved well being (Society for Children and Youth of British Columbia
Canada, 2011). Akor (2009) reports that in many parts of the Nigerian society,
whether children are on holiday or not, they are subjected to dehumanizing
conditions through hawking.
Some
parents claim that their children hawk one item or another so as to raise money
for their school fees not knowing that the Child Rights Act (Law) prohibits
such. Similarly according to Akor (2009) it is an offence under the CRA for
parents to deny their children education but some children are kept at home and
used as helpers instead of being given opportunity to exploit their environment
for future relevance. In the states where children are hardly immunized against
killer diseases, do the parents know that it is the rights of the children to
be immunized? Article 24 of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the
Child provides that children have the right to good quality health care, clean
water, nutritious food and clean environment (Akor, 2009). Article 27 of the
Child Rights Convention says children have right to a standard of living that
is good to meet their physical and mental needs while article 28 provides that
children have right to education just as primary education should be free.
However we know that this is not so in many parts of the country but people are
not saying anything about it probably because they are not aware that payment
of school fees by children in government owned secondary school is against the
law. There have been various suggestions as to how to go about achieving the
goals of the Child’s Rights Act. Education has been seen by scholars as the key
to achieving these goals.
According
to Covell and Rowe (1999) educating people on the rights of the child is
important not only for legal reasons but also for its potential in increasing
rights-respecting attitudes and behaviours. Under the United Nations Convention
on the Rights of the Child, like all signatories, Nigeria is obligated legally
to take measures to increase public awareness of children's rights as described
in the Convention. According to Article 42 of the Convention, state parties are
to make the principles and provisions of the Convention widely known, by
appropriate and active means, to their citizens. Therefore a key to this means
that there is need to make people aware of the CRA through education using the
media. Implementing the Child’s Rights
Act has not been easy. There has been various reason why this is so. According
to Reading et al (2009) each country and region has tensions between children’s
rights and other competing values, all of which have implications for the
wellbeing of children. For example, the African charter on the rights and
welfare of the child states in article 31 that “children have a responsibility
to work for the cohesion of the family, to respect parents and elders at all
times, and to assist them in cases of need”, indicating the survival needs of
communities living in environmentally harsh conditions with scarce resources.
This cultural relativism according to Reading et al (2009) has relevance for
attitudes towards children’s rights. Some countries might still be trying to
understand what it means to value a child as an individual no matter what the
sex is; others see aspects of physical discipline, such as shaking, to be
acceptable. This may be why Akinwumi, (2009) believes that there are various
legal impediments in the practical implementation of the Act since it has been
legislated in various states of the country as some of the provision do not
agree with some cultural values.
Consequently, there are hallucinations of some psycho-sociological determinants which
romance the proper functioning of the child right law in Nigeria despites the
acquisition of knowledge and awareness as received by parents of rural
dwellers. Among these include emotional intelligent of the parents. Emotional
intelligent in this circle of study determine pure intelligence of parents
consisting of cognitive ability only as asserted by (Mayer & Salovey,
1990), or as a mixed intelligence consisting of both cognitive ability and
personality aspects or traits, the differences in which are attributed to the different
beliefs of what constitutes emotional intelligence (Bar-On, 1997; Goleman,
1998). Emotional intelligence can be viewed as a combination of the
intrapersonal and interpersonal intelligence of an individual. The first use of
the term emotional intelligence appeared in a German journal in 1966. The early
definitions of social intelligence influenced the way emotional intelligence was later conceptualized. It is viewed as
part of social intelligence which suggests that both concepts are related and
may, in all likelihood, represent interrelated components of the same construct
which is an expected for all parents to posses in their daily lives so as to do
away with any forms of mismanagement of God’s gifted children in the society.
Following the concepts concerned, self efficacy reflects in self-concept as refers to the
individuals' knowledge and perceptions about themselves in circular society
(Wigfield & Karpathian, 1991). Self-efficacy
of parents refers to individuals' convictions that they can successfully
perform given tasks at designated levels (Schunk, 1991). Despite these clear
and generally accepted definitions, educational researchers often struggle to
identify the precise conceptual view of the study. Self-efficacy might well be
interchangeable concepts since both essentially measure the same cognitive
construct (e.g., self-perceived competence). Bong and Skaalvik (2003) state
that self-concept primarily indicates one’s self-perceived ability within a given ability, while
self-efficacy primarily indicates one’s self-perceived confidence to successfully perform a particular task that would
enhanced the sustainability of parents in taking care of children while
avoiding neglect of the child despites the knowledge and awareness to proper
treatment of their wards in the society.
Furthermore,
it was observed critically that the child has an obligation to perform for
his/her parents in respect of the care given to them as obedient but Nigeria as
a country, poverty had stricken about 80% according to USAID, 2012. This
implies that the socio economic status of parents which lead to poor child care
which resulted to abuse of God’s heritage among parents. Socioeconomic status
(SES) is a vital tools to upgrades the entire family success. There are great
contribution to student’s academic performances as a result of socioeconomic
status i.e. parental income, occupational status, and parental educational
level. The determining factor of student’s success or failure depends on
the care which is the attributes that contribute to student outstanding
performances in the four wall of classroom.
It was
discovered that "low socioeconomic status children in Baltimore research
test well below the level of higher SES children at the start of first
grade." It has also been revealed that lack of motivation, combined
with low SES can be another predictor of low student achievement (Schultz
1993). It seems as though students are set up for failure when they come
from families that are economically disadvantaged. Also, they discovered a
strong, positive correlation between socioeconomic status and student
achievement. Another study was done in Illinois in (1994), and found that
larger percentages of low-income students were associated with a decrease in
the third grade Illinois Goal Assessment Program (IGAP) reading assessment
(Sutton and Soderstrom (1999).
Success on state tests is an important
issue in education today. Schools are under pressure for their students
to perform well on the state achievement tests. The pressure results in
being graded as a school. Schools with high achievement get good grades,
and schools with low achievement receive poor grades and are put on improvement
plans. It is important, in this day and age, to attempt to discover the
factors that contribute to low student performance on these achievement
tests. It was further stressed that parental knowledge and awareness of a
child abuse and neglect has a significant correlates to psycho sociological
determinant of child maltreatment in the society. Moreover, According to Njoku
and Oladiji (2009), the challenges facing children in the 21st century are
immense and will need to be faced if we are to achieve the goal of the Child’s
Rights Act. Scholars have put forward different views as to why children’s
right are not being protected. In a study Lachman et al (2002) found that one of
the challenges facing child protection in Africa is poverty. In other words it
will be difficult to protect children’s right if there is poverty, because a
poor person will use all that is within his/her disposal for survival. One of
the instruments for survival that are usually within the disposal of most
people is/are their child/children.
This is
because greater public awareness can lead to: increase political will,
implementation and monitoring, increased advocacy, positive proactive response
to advocacy by adult members of the society, realization of children’s rights
and improved well being (Society for Children and Youth of British Columbia
Canada, 2011). Akor (2009) reports that in many parts of the Nigerian society,
whether children are on holiday or not, they are subjected to dehumanizing
conditions through hawking. Some parents claim that their children hawk one
item or another so as to raise money for their school fees not knowing that the
Child Rights Act (Law) prohibits such.
1.2 Statement of the
Problems
While Nigeria
commitment to addressing issues of child rights is strong as evidenced by the
legal framework but weaker than a toll in its implementation and social
policies that seek to address provisions for all children; promote effective use
of limited resources and ensure equity, children’s rights are more of rhetoric
than reality. Social indicators for children in regard to their right to
survival, development, protection and participation are generally low. This
study provides a fresh angle on the issue of child rights that has been
characterized by a number of factors such as poverty, insecurity and conflict,
HIV/AIDS, rapid demographic changes, politics and public administration, poor
resource management and distribution by focusing on the effect of gender
relations on realization of child rights to survival, development and
participation. This could be more critical in understanding the complex
relationships that have left most of the rights on paper and can form the basis
for a process of social change that will lead to realization of children’s
rights in Nigeria.
Child
maltreatment is a universal problem and this has caused a lot of bewilderment
to the government in the implementation of policies and enactment of
appropriate laws and order that will tamed the monster of child abuse and of
course, how to minimize it to it barest minimum is one of the biggest
challenges being faced federal government. Research studies reveal that large
numbers of children all over the world undergo physical, psychological and
sexual maltreatment daily. For instance, the World Health Organization reports
that each year more than 40 million children around the world are abused (WHO,
2002). The United Nations World Report on Violence against Children reveals that
150 million girls, or 14% of the world’s child population, and 73 million boys,
or 7% of the world’s child population, have been subjected to sexual violence
(Pinheiro, 2006).
The
National picture of child abuse and prevention in Nigeria illustrates equally
grey findings, this generalisation was anchored on low self efficacy of
parents, low socioeconomic status and a very weak emotional intelligent in
proper care of children in the rural area. For example, the National Child
Protection Authority reports that large numbers of Sri Lankan children
experience violence and abuse (NCPA, 2007). Hence, violence and maltreatment
against children is increasingly recognized as a phenomenon requiring urgent
attention.
Among
the foreseen highlights, it has been noticed that there is low or lack of
awareness in the campaign against child abuse Act within and among the expected
caregivers and parents in our dear country especially in Akinyele Local
Government Areas of Oyo state, Nigeria.
1.3 Purpose of the Study
This research work is being carried out in order to achieve the
following outlines and also to create room for further study and or expansions
on the subject matter: The purpose of this research work is to accomplish the
following objectives:
· Investigate
the concept of the provisions of child abuse and child neglect under the child
right law, 2006.
· Investigate
the knowledge and awareness of parents on the provisions of child abuse
· Examine
the ways through which child abuse and child neglect under the child right law
in 2006 can be practically examined by parents or guardians and finally.
· How
the rights of child of a child can be protected and sustained for the benefit
of children’s future and for the cared parent’s.
1.4 Significance
of the Study
A large number of research studies from around the world including
South Asia reveal that violence and abuse leave painful imprints in the minds
and bodies of young children (Pinheiro, 2006; WHO, 2002; De Zoysa,, Rajapakse,
& Newcombe, 2005). These imprints often lead children to be severely
affected, creating physical, social and psychological tribulations (De Zoysa,,
Rajapakse, & Newcombe, 2005; WHO, 2002; Fairholm & Ferguson, 2000).
Moreover, these negative experiences not only prevent maltreated children from
enjoying a happy and carefree childhood, but also can impede long-term physical
and emotional health and the development of healthy relationships (WHO, 2002;
Widom, 1989).
Early childhood is considered
the most vulnerable period in an individual’s life by developmental
psychologists (Berk, 1994; Siegler, Deloache, & Eisenberg, 2003).
Experiences in this period of life can shape how children perceive and relate
to the world throughout their lives (Erickson, 1959; Berk, 1994). Hence, there
is an urgent need to address maltreatment and violence against young children
as those experiences can deny children from enjoying happy and secure
childhoods and adulthoods (Huesmann, Eron, Kefkowitz, & Walder,1984;
Conduct problem prevention group, 2002) and negatively impact entire
communities and societies (WHO, 2000; Elliot, Prior, Merrigan, & Ballinger,
2002).
The Importance of Implementing Violence and Maltreatment Prevention
Programs for Children between 5 to 9 Years as mentioned above, early childhood
(into which the preschool and primary school periods fall) is considered as the
most critical developmental period in an individual’s life. Therefore,
preschool and primary schools, where young children spend considerable time and
are extensively socialized, can be among the most suitable conduits to
implement violence and maltreatment prevention programs. Because preschool and
primary schools have the potential capacity to shape the attitudes, knowledge
and skills of young children, with appropriate interventions; administrators in
charge of early childhood education can have a significant positive influence
in protecting young children across the world especially Nigeria.
Hence, there is a tremendous opportunity to prevent and minimize
occurrences of violence and maltreatment directed towards young children in
Nigeria if effective early violence intervention programs exist within these
sectors. In other countries, violence and maltreatment prevention programs have
been conducted successfully at the preschool and primary school levels
(Committee for Children, 2002, ACT, 2004) and have yielded considerable results
pertaining to violence and maltreatment prevention (Webster-Stratton, Reid, &
Hammond, 2004; Raver, & Knitzer, 2002; McGinnis, & Goldstein, 2003;
McMahon, & Washburn, 2003; Slaby, Roedell, Arezzo, & Hendrix, 1995).
The human
potentials realized in the parental role are often reduced to the singular
notion that it is the capacity to love which provides the motivation,
resilience, and understanding to nurture a child. Yet, loving parents can
understand and treat their children in very different ways. Studies of family
violence suggest that the emotional investments of parenthood remain highly
vulnerable to the stresses and demands of child rearing but this can be treated
with humility of heart that will improves the health nature and survival of the
children. There is a clear need in the current literature for closer analysis
of the individual capabilities, developed during childhood, adolescence, and
adulthood, which may importantly influence parental ability to adapt to these
demands for the success of child transformation to a productive adulthood.
1.5 Scope of the study
This research work focuses on the psycho-sociological determinants of
knowledge and awareness of child abuse and neglect among rural parents in
Akinyele local government areas of Oyo state, Nigeria. Moreso, the study
involves the population of the above Local Government Areas of Oyo state.
1.6 Operational definition of terms
The following terms are defined operationally as
used in the study:
Child:
A child is any human being below the age of 18.
Child rights: Children right are child survival,
development and participation.
Knowledge: The
information, understanding and skills you gain through education and experience
Awareness: The act of understanding a phenomenon (observable
fact).
Parents: A parent is person’s father or mother or known to be
the biological caregiver.
Provisions: Is an act or preparations that make for something
that might or will happen in the future
Child abuse/Child neglect: Child maltreatment, sometimes referred to as child abuse and neglect,
includes all forms of physical and emotional ill-treatment, sexual abuse,
neglect, and exploitation that results in actual or potential harm to the
child’s health, development or dignity. Or any “abused” or “neglected” child
means a child whose physical or mental health or welfare is harmed, or threatened
with acts of omission of his parents or other persons responsible for his
welfare (Holder & Schene, 1989).
Self efficacy: Self-efficacy
refers to people's confidence in their ability to regulate their motivation,
thought processes, emotional states, and social environment to affect a given
behaviour or associated with a number of health behaviours, including actions
to prevent HIV transmission risk.
Emotional intelligent: Emotional intelligence (E.I) is a set of
competencies which direct and control one's feelings towards work and
performance at work/task.
Socioeconomic Status (SES): A composite measure available in the
data set, consisting of father’s education, mother’s education, father’s
occupational status, mother’s educational status, and family income or categorization based upon the percent
of economically disadvantaged students.
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