The Nigerian government has pledged to ban corporal punishment/maltreatment alongside N112.18 billion investments for national safe schools financing from 2024 to 2026, aimed at protecting teachers and preventing violence against children to accelerate action towards delivering Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 16.2.
Corporal punishment is the most prevalent form of childhood violence at home and in schools, and the government plans to undertake a national Violence against Children (VAC) survey to generate data that would inform legislative policy and programmatic interventions on VAC by 2030.
These commitments are in line with the United Nations (UN) Convention and were made during the first Global Ministerial Conference hosted by the Governments of Colombia and Sweden, together with the World Health Organization (WHO), UNICEF, and the United Nations, to end violence against children.
According to WHO, nine in 10 children still live in countries where prevalent forms of childhood violence, such as corporal punishment or even sexual abuse and exploitation, are not yet prohibited. Corporal punishment affects three out of every five children regularly in their homes, and about one billion are estimated to suffer some form of violence, such as child maltreatment, bullying, physical or emotional abuse, as well as sexual violence.
Statistics presented at the conference showed that one in five girls and one in seven boys experience sexual violence globally, while between 25 and 50 per cent of children are estimated to have experienced bullying. While violence against children often occurs behind closed doors and is vastly underreported, WHO estimates that fewer than half of affected children tell anyone they experienced violence, and less than 10 per cent receive any help.
Countries in attendance committed to improving services for childhood violence survivors, tackling bullying, and investing in critical parenting support, which is one of the most effective interventions for reducing violence risks in the home.
WHO Director-General, Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, said that although very preventable, violence remains a horrific day-to-day reality for millions of children around the world, leaving scars that span generations.
He added that the critical pledges made by different countries, once enacted, could finally turn the tide on childhood violence. “From establishing life-changing support for families to making schools safer places or tackling online abuse, these actions will be fundamental to protecting children from lasting harm and ill health,” he said.
Specific pledges at the event include, among others, commitments to end physical punishment, introduce new digital safety initiatives, increase the legally permitted age of marriage, and invest in parenting education and child protection.
The Government of Nigeria also pledged to integrate positive discipline and anti-bullying curricula into all teachers’ pre-service and in-service training by 2030, alongside the review and enforcement of the Child Rights Act 2003 and the Violence against Persons Prohibition (VAPP) Act 2015, to enforce appropriate penalties for violations and a ban on corporal punishment in schools by 2028.
They also committed to prioritizing the enactment of the Children and Youth Correctional Institutions Bill 2024 to replace the Borstal Institutions and Remand Centres Act 2004, ensuring strengthened protection and reintegration support for children and young offenders.
Other commitments include addressing and ending harmful norms such as child marriage and female genital mutilation in 18 states of Nigeria by 2028, strengthening household income and economies by investing in a universal child grant that aligns with broader social protection efforts, and supporting the nation’s commitment to the well-being and development of children by 2027.
