Lawyers have called for stronger action to protect children from abuse, stressing that suspected cases must be reported promptly, investigated properly and measures taken to ensure the safety and recovery of affected children.
  
They said these following recent reports of sexual and physical abuse of children by their parents/guardians. 
  
Constitutional lawyer and principal partner, Evans Ufeli Chambers, Mr Evans Ufeli, said child protection requires a combination of prevention, swift reporting, child-sensitive investigations, prosecution of offenders and long-term recovery support.
  
According to him, Nigeria’s constitutional and statutory frameworks prohibit various forms of violence and abuse against children, including sexual abuse, exploitation, neglect, trafficking and harmful practices.
  
He urged states that have adopted Child Rights Laws to enforce them rigorously, while calling on lawmakers in states where adoption remained incomplete to close the legislative gaps.
  
“Parents, schools, hospitals, religious bodies, neighbours, and social workers should report suspected abuse promptly,” Ufeli said, adding that reports should trigger immediate safety assessments, medical care, preservation of evidence and referral to trained investigators.
  
He also cautioned against subjecting children to further trauma during investigations.
  
“A child must not be pressured to confront an alleged abuser or repeatedly recount traumatic events,” he said.
  
Ufeli called for child-friendly court procedures that protect children’s privacy, minimise unnecessary delays and, where legally permissible, allow evidence to be given in ways that reduce intimidation.
  
He further identified protective orders, safe accommodation, removal of an alleged perpetrator from the child’s environment and supervised contact, where necessary, as measures that could help reduce immediate risks.
  
Ufeli advocated written safeguarding policies, background checks, staff training, clear complaint mechanisms and disciplinary action against personnel who conceal abuse.
  
Assistant chief state counsel, Ministry of Justice, Lagos, Inumidun Balogun, argued that effective child protection depended on adults being prepared to act when abuse was suspected.
  
“The implementation of laws against child abuse requires courage.
  
“The people must protect the child, report the abuse, while the authorities investigate the allegation, hold offenders accountable and provide the child with the support necessary to recover,” she said.
  
She warned against allowing family relationships, social status or positions of trust to discourage intervention when a child may be at risk.
  
“Our children should never have to remain in an abusive environment because the alleged abuser is a relative, a trusted adult, a teacher, a religious leader or someone known to the family,” Balogun said.
  
She stressed that child protection was a collective responsibility, arguing that existing legal mechanisms could only work when adults were willing to report concerns and take action.
  
Balogun urged adults to listen when children speak about possible abuse and to report suspected cases rather than waiting for a child to provide proof.
  
“A child’s safety must always come before an adult’s reputation,” she said.
  
She also noted that residents of Lagos could use the Lagos State Citizens Gate to report child abuse, sexual and domestic abuse, while emergencies could be reported through 112 or 767.
  
According to Balogun, a child’s silence or difficulty explaining an experience should not be interpreted as evidence that abuse did not occur.
 
“A child’s silence should never be mistaken for consent, and a child’s inability to articulate what happened should never be mistaken for proof that nothing happened,” she said.
  
She further pointed to the need for stronger safeguards in schools, churches, sports organisations, care facilities and other institutions working with children.
 
Such measures, she said, should include appropriate supervision, accessible reporting channels and procedures for dealing with allegations.
  
She also called for allegations to be handled by appropriate law-enforcement and child-protection authorities, with children treated as persons requiring protection rather than being blamed or intimidated.
  
The lawyers emphasised that protection should continue beyond the reporting of an allegation. 
  
They identified medical care, counselling, legal assistance, social-welfare intervention, family support and long-term rehabilitation as important components of a child-centred response.