EFFECT OF CHILD TRAFFICKING ON ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE OF PUPILS IN PUBLIC PRIMARY SCHOOLS (EDUCATION PROJECT TOPICS AND MATERIALS)
ABSTRACT
This study investigated the effects of child trafficking on academic performance of pupils in public primary schools in Abeokuta metropolis. Three research questions were asked to give direction to the study. The sample for the study consisted of 100 primary school pupils randomly selected from four primary schools randomly selected in Abeokuta. The instrument used for data collection was a questionnaire constructed by the researcher. The data collected were treated statistically with simple percentage. The results of data analysis revealed that poverty is responsible for child trafficking, peer influence also promote child trafficking in Abeokuta metropolis. There is an existence of child trafficking law in Abeokuta metropolis. Based on the findings it was recommended among others that seminars should be organized for people on the dangers of child trafficking.
CHAPTER ONE
1.1 Background to the Study
Nigeria, the most populous black nation in the world with an estimated population of about 140 million people (2006, Census), is endowed with abundant human and natural resources like oil, tin, limestone, zinc, natural gas, good vegetation and climate which varies from being equatorial in the South, tropical in the centre and arid in the north. This great country, 3rd world largest producer of crude oil has about 5.3% annual growth rate but it is estimated that 70% of Nigerians live in poverty (Tola, 2008). The above features are legacies of decades prolonged military rules coupled with mis-management and corruption, which have daily impoverished the people and made them “beggars” of a sort amdist plenty. This act of misrule has increased anti-social behaviour amongst the populace. Sadly, the quest for material wealth at all cost has introduced a new dimension of wealth creation into the psyche of Nigerians-which is child trafficking. Child trafficking is the third largest criminal activity in the world after arms and drug trafficking (Tola, 2008). In the last decade, the phenomenon of child trafficking has considerably increased throughout the world and most especially in Nigeria.
Every year, million of individuals, mostly children are misled by decot or forced to submit to servitude. The UN Convention Against Transnational Organized Crime (2000) defined child trafficking as follows: “the recruitment, transportation, transfer, harbouring or receipt of persons, by means of threat or use of force or other forms of coercion, abduction, fraud, deception, of abuse of power, giving or receiving of payments or benefits to achieve the consent of a person having control over another person for the purpose of exploitation” “exploitation shall include at a minimum, the exploitation of the prostitution of others or other forms of sexual exploitation, forced labour or services, slavery or practices similar or slavery, servitude or the removal of organs”.
