INFLUENCE OF CHILD TRAFFICKING ON PERSONALITY AND ACADEMIC ADJUSTMENT AMONG JUNIOR SECONDARY SCHOOL STUDENTS IN EDO STATE, NIGERIA (EDUCATION PROJECT TOPICS AND MATERIALS)
ABSTRACT
This study investigated the influence of child trafficking on personality and academic adjustment among junior secondary school students in Edo state, Nigeria. This study employed ex-post-facto design. The population of this study was 264 for both victims and non-victims of child trafficking. Opportunistic sampling technique was used for the study. Three Research questions and three null hypotheses guided this study. The instruments adopted for this study were: Psychological stress inventory, Beck Depression inventory and Bell academic adjustment inventory. The SPSS Statistical package version 20 was used to analyze the data. Data were analyzed using mean, standard deviation and independent t-test. The findings revealed that differences exist between victims and non-victims of child trafficking in their personality psychological stress, personality depression and academic adjustment. Victims of child trafficking have higher personality psychological stress than non-victims (t = 15.931, p = 0.000), also, victims have higher depression than non-victims (t = 31.482, p = 0.000). The non-victims have higher academic adjustment than victims of child trafficking (t = 31.682, p = 0.000). It was recommended among others that victims and non-victims of child trafficking should be sensitized on the effects of child trafficking on personality and academic adjustment of school children.
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.1 Background to the Study
All over the world, the birth of a child is a thing of joy. Children therefore occupy a special position in the life of any family or nation. In African tradition as well as Nigeria and Edo state in particular, the importance of children cannot be over emphasized. In the old days, the task of caring and bringing up a child was not only that of the parents, but also the entire community. In those days parents and guardians treat their children with much love and affection. They fended for the children, give attention to their needs, and protect their interests in the cultural and social lives of the community. The above fact is without prejudice to the many forces and conditions in our society today, which violate the complete development of children and the unfolding of their potentials. One of these conditions that militate against the well – being of the child these days is child trafficking (Odigie & Chinenye 2008)
Child trafficking is a phenomenon that is currently generating a lot of concern globally, in African countries like Nigeria and Edo State in particular, where it is highly prevalent. It is the third largest criminal activity in the world today after arms and drug trafficking (Tola, 2008). In the last decade, child trafficking has considerably increased throughout the world and most especially in Nigeria. Every year, millions of children are misled or forced to submit to servitude. The United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime (2000), recognized children‟s rights, and has provided a legal basis to combat child trafficking. But their scope is limited by the lack of a clear and publicly accepted definition of child trafficking in West Africa, where the terms “trafficking”, “abduction” or “Sales of children” have different meanings in different countries…..
