Abuse is simply to mal
treat or impose something on someone, while child abuse refers to the deliberate maltreatment of a child by a care giver, parent or guardian.
In recent times, the issue of child abuse has raised a lot of eyebrows and there has been lots of awareness and protest against this menace in the international community, this cannot be said to be the case in Nigeria.
The Non challenge and ease with which is frightening, especially because statistics and investigations carried out by the United Nations childrens fund (UNICEF) have shown that a great percentage of Nigerian children suffer from one form of abuse or another.
Considering the population of this great nation, this is no child’s play, so we all have to work together to fight this hazard.
The UNICEF statistics on child abuse in Nigeria is indeed worrisome. The statistics show that six out of ten children in Nigeria suffer some form of abuse before they turn eighteen (18) and half of these children experience violent abuses.
Students have also shown that a great percentage of these children who are abused are violated by people they know that is, the persons who indulge in the despiteful act of molestation may be parents of the children, aunties, uncles, househelps or even Neigbours.
A new addition to the lost of child abusers or molesters are teachers. Yes!  Teachers, who are the role models of children, and are entrusted by the parents of these children to incurcate knowledge and exhibit traits which the children can learn from.
Every year government allocates large to fighting terror and creating a good protected and enjoy safety. This is a real because children (the Nigerian child) are prone to the highest insecurity as a result of abuse.
The environmental and psychological trauma which the growing up, cannot be imagined and we wonder why we have lots of criminals committing unthinkable evil and making the life of their fellow citizens a living hell.
The truth here is, a good number of these criminals at their early stage of growth have been ???? of the care and stability which every child is entitled to. This is really pitiable because the child should be made to feel safe and happy in his environment.
Child abuse occurs in different forms, it can be physical, verbal, sexual emotional e.t.c lots of people will be worried if they hear that a child is violated sexually bud when it comes to verbal, physical, emotional abuse, they make light of it.
The streets are full of children who are barely old enough to, walk, hawking petition food items and it is not on issue. Some of these children have become victims of human rituals, just because some found nothing wrong with allowing an under aged child hawk to raise money. This is just one instance of physical emotional abuse. There have been cases where children have been beaten to stupor and this has been seen to be disciplinary measures. How shameful, that in a modern society as this, we can if find such act.
Another dreadful but overlooked form of child abuse is the verbal abuse, the mental inbalance which this causes in children is awful. The child after being verbally abused, becomes reduced to a state where they doubt then ability to ever do any thing in life. This creates the greatest form of low self-esteem.
Low self-esteem, withdrawal, psychological and emotional trauma are just some of the many effects of this abuse one can only wonder how a child subject to all these will turn out in society, also bearing in mind the saying, “children are the future of the Nation.”
This epidemic called child abuse is not peculiar to Nigeria alone, it is everywhere even in the United States where the most cases are reported.
A recent report stated that every year more than three (3) million reports of child abuse are made in the united states and the government is relentlessly combating this problem. This strong response by the United States towards combating this issue is what the Nigerian government is failing to do.
There is no care for any form of abuse, especially when it happiness to a child. It sets the child on a road of devastation and torture, ????? proper growth and development. Prevention is the only solution to this problem.
It is my  advice to all that children are a gift from God, to be cherished and loved by all. They may as well be our children; if so would you not show compassion on your own child, even when you are driven by anger and pain?
Let us all work together and say no to child abuse for a better today and the chance of a bright tomorrow Government, parents, citizens we are responsible for the welfare of every Nigerian child.
And so the government needs to collaborate with the health sector to come up with more effective measures to combat and drastcially reduce te increasing cases of child abuse, and we will have a  better and a glorious country.
Otobo wrote from
Port Harcourt.

Otobo Happiness