Child Protection

Violence against children occurs in homes, families, schools, communities and other places where children should feel safe. See how UNICEF is supporting the Government of Nigeria to protect children.

A girl looks out of a window in northeast Nigeria
UNICEF/2017/Gilbertson

The Challenge

Abuse in all its forms are a daily reality for many Nigerian children and only a fraction ever receive help. Six out of every 10 children experience some form of violence – one in four girls and 10 per cent of boys have been victims of sexual violence. Of the children who reported violence, fewer than five out of a 100 received any form of support. The drivers of violence against children (VAC) are rooted in social norms, including around the use of violent discipline, violence against women and community beliefs about witchcraft, all of which increase children’s vulnerability.
 
Nigeria has the largest number of child brides in Africa with more than 23 million girls and women who were married as children, most of them from poor and rural communities. While data suggests a decline of 9 per cent in the prevalence of child marriage since 2003, and a projected further decrease of 6 per cent by 2030, Nigeria’s rapid population growth means that the number of child brides will in fact increase by more than one million by 2030 and double by 2050.

A girl stands in front of a window.
UNICEF/2016/Hundeyin

Just over one in four girls and women (27 per cent) aged 15-49 years have undergone female genital mutilation/cutting (FGM/C), a rate that is still lower in Nigeria than in many countries. However, due to its large population, Nigeria has the third highest absolute number of women and girls (19.9 million) who have undergone FGM/C worldwide. While prevalence continues to drop, with a projected further five-point decline by 2030, the population explosion is expected to result in the numbers of those affected to remain unchanged by 2030.


Only 30 per cent of children under five years were registered at birth. Besides being a ‘first right’ of any child, improved birth registration is critical for national planning and governance functions, and serves as a foundation for achieving progress in wider child protection areas and the attainment of Sustainable Development Goals.

Solution

We aim to ensure that more children, including adolescents in Nigeria in both development and humanitarian contexts, have a legal identity and are safe and protected from violence, exploitation, abuse and harm.

Children walking

Strengthen legislative and institutional frameworks and capacities of government and key stakeholders, including social welfare and justice services.

A boy reading a multiplication table pasted on the wall.

Generate and analyse evidence for legal reform and public financing for children.​

A girl covers her face.

Support the intersectoral national social norms change strategy to end violence against children including child marriage, FGM/C and other harmful traditional practices​.

A baby with a birth registration card

Strengthen the birth registration system to scale up the registration of children under five.

A girl drawing on coloured paper in an IDP camp in northeast Nigeria.

Ensure children in humanitarian situations have access to quality preventive and responsive services.

Resources

Child protection stories and news

Rann’s Growing Army of Child-led Households

Desperate to support their families, children as young as 13 in Rann, northeast Nigeria, are crossing the border into Cameroon to fend for their families.

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Stitching a Future

Empowering out-of-school children with skills to build independence, delay early marriage, and break the cycle of vulnerability.

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Leveraging data to ensure essential services for every child

Using accurate information to guarantee that each child receives the care and protection they deserve.

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Love in hard places

A tragedy and a chance meeting. This is the story of unaccompanied children and the foster homes where they're finding love and support in northeast Nigeria

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