CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.1. Background of the Study
The need to provide research information about the prevalence of child abuse, its effects on educational factors was the focus of this research. This study is on the following key words which are child labour, abuse, street hawking, academic performance and its effects. The goal of the research on child abuse on the academic performance of children and those who participated in it. Scholars and people have defined child abuse in several ways. In a nutshell it is the exploitation of children, premature assumptions of adult roles on the part of children, working long hours per wages. The Isoko South Local Government Area of Delta State Nigeria, has three main purposes. To identify the extent of child abuse in street hawking, secondly to determine the factors, which influences students in street hawking and lastly to compare the relationship between street hawking and academic performance of those who are engaged in the activities.
Differences in academic performance of students under the same conditions of teaching, have overtime given the researcher a cause for concern. To establish, causes of the low or high academic performance have been the target of this study. The researcher interaction with students of high academic performance shows that they came from well-to-do homes, live comfortable life and are exposed to conducive environment. And then interaction with students of poor academic performance shows that most of them came from poor and broken homes, with little or no means of livelihood, hence they need to fend for themselves.
This expose them to emotional and psychological instability. According to United Nations (1959), the issue of child abuse is something that has been in existence for many years. In Nigeria, Anukam (1986), Waboso (2002), Esu (2002) and the International Society for the prevention of child abuse and neglect (ISPCAN) which led to the formation of the African network for the prevention and protection against child abuse and neglect (ANPPCAN) frown at child abuse.
All these groups condemn child abuse. A child is said to be abused if he or she is denied basic rights like any other citizens. In essence, he is subjected to lot of maltreatment and forced to live under the most un-conducive atmosphere. Child abuse takes many forms, for example, child labour, sexual abuse, child deprivation, neglect, physical and psychological child abuse, children used in rituals, battering, early marriage, child soldering, child prostitution, children used in street hawking, human trafficking, child abandonment to mention but a few (Waboso, 2002, Okpechi, 2005).
It is common in the society to see school children hawking one type of goods or another, you can imagine while these children are not in school. Again, if at all they attend school, do they perform well?
As a teacher, the researcher had on several occasions observed some students in class sleeping while teaching is going on, when asked why they sleep at that time, their answers most of the times is always that they do hawking before coming to school and so they are very weak. The researcher also observed that most students do not perform well academically, and therefore started to ponder whether their poor performance could be attributed to their involvement in street hawking and other aspects of child abuse.
For a child to perform well academically, he needs a stable mind and a motivating environment. These conditions often elude some children particularly those from low-income parents. Child abuse can have a drastic consequence on the future life of the child. It is dehumanizing, it engenders low-self esteem or low-self – concept, promote inferiority complex, belittles the individual as well as degradation of ones personality (The Guardian, Sept 11, 2000).
1.2. Statement of the Problem
There is clear evidence that children who are involved in street hawking are generally at risk for a variety of psychological and development outcome due to excessive exposure to hazard. They also function poorly intellectually and are almost mentally retarded (Ebigbo, 1986). Therefore the problem of this study is posed as a question.
How does child labour as an aspect of child abuse reflect on the academic performance of students who engage in it, in the Isoko South Local Government Area of Delta State Nigeria?
Child abuse has become a matter of concern for academic institutions, government and indeed parents and guardians. The problem among others that the injustice and exploitative tendencies in man has generated overtime and so, it is a social problem because with each passing day. The phenomenon is growing so rapidly in the society and across the nation. For instance, If you go round the towns and cities, children who are of the future of the nation are seen dejected and looking hungry. According to the child welfare league of America, children whose parents abuse, drugs and alcohol are most three times more likely to be abused and four times more likely to be neglected than children of parents who are not substance abusers. Eighty five percent of states that report statistics per child abuse and poverty as the top two issues related to the child abuse and neglect. Additionally studies have shown that the most consistent finding in substantiated child abuse case is that the abusive parents often report having been physically, sexually, or emotionally abused or neglected as children. Certain children are not increased risk for abuse. Younger children are particularly vulnerable to certain types of abuse, such as shaken baby syndrome and battered child syndrome. Shaken baby syndrome is a severe form of head injury that occurs when a baby is shaken hard enough to cause the baby’s brain to bounce against its skull. This cause bruising, swelling and bleeding of the brain that can lead to permanent, severe brain damage or death as the case may be. One of the difficulties in identifying this type of abuse is that there are no or usually no outward physical signs of trauma, which often creates a delay in the child receiving treatment.
Battered child syndrome is characterized by a group of physical and mental symptoms caused by long term physical violence against the child. The abuse takes the forms of cuts, broken bones, bruises, burns or internal injuries from hitting, punching. Children who suffers this kind as forms of child abuse are under the age of 3 to 5 years.
1.3. Purpose of the Study
The purpose of this study is to look at the causes and effects of child abuse on the academic performance of pupils in secondary schools in Isoko South Local Government Area of Delta State Nigeria, even as well as suggesting ways of solving these problems.
These are some ways of solving or looking at child abuse problems in Nigeria societies which are as follows:
(1) Determine the factor, which influences children involvement in street hawking.
(2) Investigate the influence of child labour, on academic performance of secondary school students in Isoko Local Government Area of Delta State.
(3) Compare the relationship in performance between child abuse children engaged in the activities with those who do not.
(4) Government should enact laws against the abuse of children in the society as well as the country at large.
1.4. Research Questions
(1) To which extent does street hawking is not significantly dependent on the academic performance of students.
(2) To what extent does students who engaged in child abuse compare with their counter parts who do not engaged in such activities.
(3) To what extent does child maltreatment affect the academic performance of the students who engage in such activities and those who do not.
1.5. Research Hypothesis
(1) There is no significant difference between the academic performance of the children involved in street hawking.
(2) There is no significant relationship in the academic performance between children abused with those who are not abused.
(3) Child maltreatment does not have any significant relationship on the academic performance of the student who engage in such activities and those who do not.
INTRODUCTION
1.1. Background of the Study
The need to provide research information about the prevalence of child abuse, its effects on educational factors was the focus of this research. This study is on the following key words which are child labour, abuse, street hawking, academic performance and its effects. The goal of the research on child abuse on the academic performance of children and those who participated in it. Scholars and people have defined child abuse in several ways. In a nutshell it is the exploitation of children, premature assumptions of adult roles on the part of children, working long hours per wages. The Isoko South Local Government Area of Delta State Nigeria, has three main purposes. To identify the extent of child abuse in street hawking, secondly to determine the factors, which influences students in street hawking and lastly to compare the relationship between street hawking and academic performance of those who are engaged in the activities.
Differences in academic performance of students under the same conditions of teaching, have overtime given the researcher a cause for concern. To establish, causes of the low or high academic performance have been the target of this study. The researcher interaction with students of high academic performance shows that they came from well-to-do homes, live comfortable life and are exposed to conducive environment. And then interaction with students of poor academic performance shows that most of them came from poor and broken homes, with little or no means of livelihood, hence they need to fend for themselves.
This expose them to emotional and psychological instability. According to United Nations (1959), the issue of child abuse is something that has been in existence for many years. In Nigeria, Anukam (1986), Waboso (2002), Esu (2002) and the International Society for the prevention of child abuse and neglect (ISPCAN) which led to the formation of the African network for the prevention and protection against child abuse and neglect (ANPPCAN) frown at child abuse.
All these groups condemn child abuse. A child is said to be abused if he or she is denied basic rights like any other citizens. In essence, he is subjected to lot of maltreatment and forced to live under the most un-conducive atmosphere. Child abuse takes many forms, for example, child labour, sexual abuse, child deprivation, neglect, physical and psychological child abuse, children used in rituals, battering, early marriage, child soldering, child prostitution, children used in street hawking, human trafficking, child abandonment to mention but a few (Waboso, 2002, Okpechi, 2005).
It is common in the society to see school children hawking one type of goods or another, you can imagine while these children are not in school. Again, if at all they attend school, do they perform well?
As a teacher, the researcher had on several occasions observed some students in class sleeping while teaching is going on, when asked why they sleep at that time, their answers most of the times is always that they do hawking before coming to school and so they are very weak. The researcher also observed that most students do not perform well academically, and therefore started to ponder whether their poor performance could be attributed to their involvement in street hawking and other aspects of child abuse.
For a child to perform well academically, he needs a stable mind and a motivating environment. These conditions often elude some children particularly those from low-income parents. Child abuse can have a drastic consequence on the future life of the child. It is dehumanizing, it engenders low-self esteem or low-self – concept, promote inferiority complex, belittles the individual as well as degradation of ones personality (The Guardian, Sept 11, 2000).
1.2. Statement of the Problem
There is clear evidence that children who are involved in street hawking are generally at risk for a variety of psychological and development outcome due to excessive exposure to hazard. They also function poorly intellectually and are almost mentally retarded (Ebigbo, 1986). Therefore the problem of this study is posed as a question.
How does child labour as an aspect of child abuse reflect on the academic performance of students who engage in it, in the Isoko South Local Government Area of Delta State Nigeria?
Child abuse has become a matter of concern for academic institutions, government and indeed parents and guardians. The problem among others that the injustice and exploitative tendencies in man has generated overtime and so, it is a social problem because with each passing day. The phenomenon is growing so rapidly in the society and across the nation. For instance, If you go round the towns and cities, children who are of the future of the nation are seen dejected and looking hungry. According to the child welfare league of America, children whose parents abuse, drugs and alcohol are most three times more likely to be abused and four times more likely to be neglected than children of parents who are not substance abusers. Eighty five percent of states that report statistics per child abuse and poverty as the top two issues related to the child abuse and neglect. Additionally studies have shown that the most consistent finding in substantiated child abuse case is that the abusive parents often report having been physically, sexually, or emotionally abused or neglected as children. Certain children are not increased risk for abuse. Younger children are particularly vulnerable to certain types of abuse, such as shaken baby syndrome and battered child syndrome. Shaken baby syndrome is a severe form of head injury that occurs when a baby is shaken hard enough to cause the baby’s brain to bounce against its skull. This cause bruising, swelling and bleeding of the brain that can lead to permanent, severe brain damage or death as the case may be. One of the difficulties in identifying this type of abuse is that there are no or usually no outward physical signs of trauma, which often creates a delay in the child receiving treatment.
Battered child syndrome is characterized by a group of physical and mental symptoms caused by long term physical violence against the child. The abuse takes the forms of cuts, broken bones, bruises, burns or internal injuries from hitting, punching. Children who suffers this kind as forms of child abuse are under the age of 3 to 5 years.
1.3. Purpose of the Study
The purpose of this study is to look at the causes and effects of child abuse on the academic performance of pupils in secondary schools in Isoko South Local Government Area of Delta State Nigeria, even as well as suggesting ways of solving these problems.
These are some ways of solving or looking at child abuse problems in Nigeria societies which are as follows:
(1) Determine the factor, which influences children involvement in street hawking.
(2) Investigate the influence of child labour, on academic performance of secondary school students in Isoko Local Government Area of Delta State.
(3) Compare the relationship in performance between child abuse children engaged in the activities with those who do not.
(4) Government should enact laws against the abuse of children in the society as well as the country at large.
1.4. Research Questions
(1) To which extent does street hawking is not significantly dependent on the academic performance of students.
(2) To what extent does students who engaged in child abuse compare with their counter parts who do not engaged in such activities.
(3) To what extent does child maltreatment affect the academic performance of the students who engage in such activities and those who do not.
1.5. Research Hypothesis
(1) There is no significant difference between the academic performance of the children involved in street hawking.
(2) There is no significant relationship in the academic performance between children abused with those who are not abused.
(3) Child maltreatment does not have any significant relationship on the academic performance of the student who engage in such activities and those who do not.
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