Incredible India Monthly Contest of May#2:The Importance of Child Protection!

Greetings dear friends and steemians. I am glad to participate in this contest titled "Incredible India Monthly Contest of May#2:The Importance of Child Protection!". Here is my viewpoint.

Source Edited using GridArt.

How can we ensure the protection of our children? Please share several key points.

Child protection in the first place is a measure taken which could be policies and services aimed at stopping and defending a child or children from any form of violence, abuse or danger that can affect their physical, social and mental well-being. Some examples of this abuse or danger are: sexual mistreatment, child labour, child marriage, failure to provide the child with basic needs (food, clothing, medication).
The protection of children can be ensured at these levels:
#. THE FAMILY: The family provides the primary protection needed by a child and can be carried out as follows:

• Education: the parent must educate the child about where to go and where not to go, what to touch and what not to touch, and sensitive parts of their body that nobody should touch. Give them all forms of sex education they need at their level so that people out there will not take advantage of their ignorance. Also teach them how to work on the road, how to cross the road and road signs if possible.
• Create an opportunity for conversation with the children to make them feel free and secure. Ask them questions and always allow them to express themselves.
• Monitor them as they watch televisions and operate computer/handsets. Set rules as to which channels to watch and which not to watch. Also, limit their screen time. safe them from internet dangers like pornography.
• Ensure their physical safety by keeping anything harmful away from them.
• Know your children's friends and even their parents if possible as that will inform you on what your children learn when they are with their friends.
• Report any form of suspected abuse to the appropriate authority whether it is your child or not.

#. THE GOVERNMENT: Government can ensure the protection of our children by formulating and enacting laws, policies and services that protect the rights of children. They can also fund agencies and social sectors to fight and defend the children.

#. INSTITUTIONS: Institutions such as schools is another body that can educate the children and ensure their safety when the children are with them.

#. COMMUNITY: Community is a group of people living in the same geographical area and sharing common values, interests etc. Therefore, it can ensure the protection of our children by educating its members, supporting families and setting or commissioning a group of individuals to serve as a body whose role is to protect the rights of its members including the children.

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Should we consider that, in addition to institutional education, it is essential to provide our children with practical lessons?

Yes, it is essential to provide our children with practical lessons. This is because institutional education is not and can never be adequate in ensuring the protection of our children. As I mentioned earlier, family gives the primary protection needed for a child and institutional education the secondary. Therefore, it is highly advisable to provide our children with practical lessons to ensure their protection. These practical lessons could be on

• Sex education.
• General security.
• Health education.
• Road safety
• Safety at home etc.

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Please outline some significant reasons why children continue to be unprotected in both indoor and outdoor environments.

Some of the reasons here are:

• Insecurity: Today in Nigeria kidnapping has become a business. Children are abducted both in schools, churches and on the street. These threats have affected the social life of children and make them vulnerable.
• Poverty: Poverty and hardship have made so many children move from one refused dumb to another looking for iron and other items to sell. Some parent also send their children to almajiri schools because of poverty which exposes the children to danger.
• Laxity on the part of parents to provide education and to be around for their children. Some parents allow the school to do everything for their children and their role is to pay school fees and provide food, clothing and housing for the children. They don't even have time to discuss with their children.
• Failure on the side of the government to enact policies and laws that protect the children. Even if they do, they fail to prosecute individuals who violate the laws.
• Failure on the side of our community to provide a conducive environment for both adults and children. We fail to report suspicious movement and even individuals who abuse children, we also litter our environment with dirt, defecate outside our homes and make the environment unhealthy for living.

Conclusion
Children are the leaders of tomorrow. Therefore, we need to protect them to better our tomorrow. Thank you all for going through this article and for your support. I invite @chant, @okere-blessing, and @ability20.

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