CHAPTER ONE
1.0 INTRODUCTION
In every child who comes into this world, the hopes and dreams of the human race are born a new. Children are bearers of our common future a future that is in our hands as never before. For the world has the knowledge, the resources and the legal imperatives to give every child the best possible start in life, in a family environments that offers the love, the care and the maturing that children need to grow, to learn and to develop to the fullest. But still these children are being exposed to all diverse kind of mistreatments ranging from child labor, violence, abuse, neglect and commercial sexual exploitation of children. Children are more vulnerable than adults to being hurt, neglected, abused and exploited. Their survival is at risk and their full development is compromised. Violence against children occurs within families, in schools and communities. However, the need to care for these children so as to meet the increasing and challenge demand arose. Thus, man resolves to help to mobilize a Global movement for children an unstoppable crusade to end, at long last, the poverty, ill health, violence and discrimination that have needlessly blighted and destroyed so many young lives. In this juncture, there is need to know who a child is and what child abuse and neglect is. In traditional and even contemporary Africa, various ethnic groups have different concepts who a child is while some see one as a child so far he cannot contribute to the development of the society, others see him in terms example, Olukoshi et al (1990) posited that: “there is not one acceptable age, which is considered as a worthy definition of the upper limit of childhood begins in terms of the right to vote and be voted for and the age considered the federal ministry of youth and culture, and education as being upper limit of childhood differs… ” even internationally, there are divergent definitions as to who a child is.
The OAU charter defines a child as “every human being below the ages of eighteen (18) years” even though there are divergent opinions and views as to what is the age limit of a child, it is the view of the author, that a child is anybody between the birth to the completion of physiological/psychological and physical development. In other words, anybody between zero of his/her birth to eighteen (18) years is a CHILD. Child neglect is connoted act of omission, denial or even giving basic needs, rights and deeds of the child by parents/ guardians, which may or may not necessarily impair the well being of a child. Neglect can also take the form of inadequate provision of resources for the welfare of the child both now and in future. Child care on the other hand represents an area of programming targeted at “children in need of special protection measures”. There are children who are victims of or belong to, groups which are especially vulnerable to, various kinds of abuse, exploitation, violence and abandonment.
Vulnerable groups include children affected by armed conflict or by other situations of emergency, children engaged in hazardous or exploitative labour, including those who are trafficked, children deprived of parental protection due to AIDS, children subjected to sexual exploitation and abuse, children living with disabilities and children in conflict with the law. Because of the above situations, communities need to be strengthened and families supported to provide the necessary care to improve child survival, development. Families need knowledge, skills, motivation and support . they need to know what to do in specific circumstances and ass the children grow and develop, they need skills to provide appropriate care and to solve problems. They need to be motivated to try and to sustain new practices. They need social and material support form the community. And finally need support form the health centers/system, in the form of accessible clinics responsible services and health workers should have to give effective advice, drugs, and more complex treatment when necessary.
