Rivers couple: The face of child cruelty

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NIGERIA has a long way to go in protecting children from abuse. The rescue of Amarachi, 15, from a prolonged confinement in a toilet at a residence in Abuloma, Port Harcourt, Rivers State, is another reminder of this grim reality.

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According to reports, the teenager, said to be from Ebonyi State, was working as a domestic help for a couple when she was allegedly locked inside a toilet for weeks or months. She was reportedly fed only once a day, with leftover food.

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If these allegations are proven, this couple deserves the severest punishment under the law for this unconscionable cruelty. Children are vulnerable and need love and protection, not torture.

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Amarachi’s ordeal came to light after her cries for help attracted attention while the occupants of the house were away. Police subsequently rescued her and arrested the couple. The Rivers State Police Command said the incident was under investigation.

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The teenager cut a pitiable picture in the viral footage after her rescue. In a loose gown that could hardly conceal her fragile frame, her steps appeared laboured as police operatives led her away.

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At 15, Amarachi should be in school, learning and preparing for the future. She should be thinking about examinations and, perhaps, university.

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Instead, she was shut away from the world and subjected to conditions that no child should endure.

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Whatever offence a child may have committed, locking her in a toilet for an extended period cannot be an acceptable form of discipline. Neither can starvation, neglect, humiliation or physical and psychological abuse.

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But the deeper concern is that child abuse has become a pattern in the country.

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Recently, a woman was arrested in Onitsha, Anambra State, for allegedly using sex toys on her young daughter. A viral video showed the girl screaming as her mother allegedly abused her in a social media livestream. Four children, the oldest aged nine, have been reportedly rescued from the house.

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The Constitution is unequivocal about the dignity of the human person. It provides that no person shall be subjected to torture or to inhuman or degrading treatment.

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Section 11 of the Child Rights Act 2003 provides that every child is entitled to respect for the dignity of his or her person. It prohibits physical, mental or emotional injury, abuse, neglect or maltreatment, as well as torture. It also prohibits holding a child in slavery or servitude.

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The law does not view a child as an adult’s property. Nor does it see a domestic worker as a lesser human being. Every child has rights and dignity that must be respected and protected.

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Rivers State even has a Family Court specifically established to deal with matters concerning children’s rights, welfare and protection. The court’s jurisdiction includes cases involving child abuse, neglect, domestic violence, child labour and other violations of children’s rights.

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Sadly, despite the abundance of legal principles, abuse of children and minors persists, sometimes with parental consent.

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In August last year, in the same Rivers, children were tortured on church premises in the name of exorcising evil spirits.

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Footage showed the pastor grabbing one toddler after another and flogging them amid ceaseless screams from the victims. He then threw the child to a man who caught him mid-air from a distance away.

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The Federal Government condemned that dehumanising treatment of children, saying it violated child-protection laws.

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For one offence or another, some children have been reportedly burnt with a pressing iron, starved or had raw pepper pressed into their private parts.

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These horrendous practices must stop.

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The alleged treatment of Amarachi raises a painful question about conscience. How does anyone become comfortable with the knowledge that a 15-year-old child is locked in a toilet for days, weeks or months? How can anyone hear a child’s cries and regard them as inconsequential? How could the supposed punishment for a minor offence ever justify such treatment?

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Child abuse must not be treated as a private family matter. Once a child’s life, dignity or health is endangered, society has a duty to intervene.

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Some children have reportedly suffered permanent physical injuries over offences that could have been addressed through ordinary discipline, counselling or correction.

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Nigeria must examine a dangerous misconception that adults have unlimited authority over children in their care. They do not.

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Parents, guardians, employers, religious leaders, teachers and caregivers have responsibilities towards children. Authority over a child is not a licence to inflict suffering.

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The Child Rights Act protects children from exploitative labour.

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This is particularly important for children engaged as domestic workers. When children are taken from poor families and placed in other households, their vulnerability increases. Such children must be protected and treated with dignity.

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Poverty is undoubtedly one of the factors that can push families towards sending children away for domestic work. But it must never become a justification for abandoning parental responsibility.

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Parents and guardians must exercise the greatest care in deciding whom they entrust with their children. They must know where their children live and how they are treated.

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They must know whether their children attend school or have adequate food. Under no circumstances must parents abandon their children after handing them to another household.

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The authorities, too, must develop better systems for monitoring vulnerable children, particularly domestic workers who may have little opportunity to report abuse.

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The police must investigate reports of child abuse promptly and professionally. Neighbours, landlords, teachers, religious leaders and community members must do something when they suspect that a child is being harmed.

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The judiciary has an equally important role. Cases involving children must be handled with sensitivity and justice. Where evidence establishes criminal responsibility, the courts must impose the sanctions prescribed by law.

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The National Orientation Agency and ministries responsible for women’s affairs and social development should mount sustained public campaigns against violence and cruelty towards children.

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Such campaigns should make it clear that beating, starving, locking up, sexually abusing, humiliating or otherwise torturing a child is not discipline. It is abuse. And it is criminal.

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Schools can also become important reporting points. Teachers should be trained to recognise signs of abuse, while children should be taught how to seek help when they are being harmed.

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Amarachi’s rescue should not end with her being taken out of the alleged place of confinement. She needs proper medical assessment, psychological support, safety and assistance to return to education and rebuild her life.

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Her case should also not become another brief outrage that disappears from public consciousness after a few days.

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The authorities must establish exactly what happened in Abuloma. They must determine how long the girl was allegedly confined and the conditions under which she lived. Were any other offences committed? The investigation should be transparent enough to assure the public that the matter has not been quietly abandoned.

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Nigeria has laws protecting children. What is required now is the political will and institutional capacity to enforce them.

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A 15-year-old child should never have to cry from inside a locked toilet before society remembers that she has rights.

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