Television As A Watchdog Against Child Abuse, Labour, And Child Trafficking

The aim of this study was to analyze the Influence of Television as a Watchdog against Child Abuse and labour with a particular focus to Child Trafficking. The study is anchored on agenda setting theory. The study used survey research method as quantitative design while questionnaire is used as a data gathering instrument. Respondents were drawn from Gariki using the purposive sampling technique in which 120 respondents were drawn as 100 copies of questionnaires were retrieved. The collected data were analysised and interpreted using descriptive statistics i.e (frequency, percentage method coupled with tabulation) The study answered four research questions. From the research findings, it was observed that the programmes aired on AIT helped in discouraging the practice of Child Abuse and Labour. The study recommended that government should embark on public enlightenment programmes to educate the public on the social dangers of child abuse and labour, as well as child trafficking.

Introduction

1.1 Background to the Study

Child abuse and labour represents one of the most dehumanizing forms of human rights abuse. Top on the hat of the slavery-like practices against children is child trafficking. Combating child trafficking has gathered considerable momentum over the years with increased political awareness regarding the phenomenon, as illustrated by the localized adoption and ratification of international standards and important commitments undertaken in international conference by different states.

Child abuse is a generic term used in describing the physical or mental mistreatment of anyone under the age of 18. The Webster"s Dictionary (2003) defines "a child as a boy or girl at any age between infancy and adolescence or a new born infant". The United Nations Children"s Fund (UNICEF) defines a child as "any human being from 0 - 18". A child is generally seen as someone below the age of adulthood. A child, according to Nigerian law, is seen as being meek and innocent, needs the protection of the parents and the law to survive and grow properly into a complete being.

Children are regarded as precious gifts from God, leaders of tomorrow, man"s ticket of continuity on earth; yet, these same children are subjected to different forms abuse and neglect. Perhaps, it is in recognition of this fact that the United Nations in 1979 designated that year as the "international year of the child" and went ahead to develop a list of children"s rights. Among the rights as enunciated by the United Nations are that every child is entitled to the right to love and understanding; adequate food and health; free education, play, an identity and special attention of the handicapped regardless of colour, sex, religion and nation or social origin.

Unfortunately, according to The United Nations, many people are not aware of the existence of these rights. This is why child abuse is rampant in many countries of the world including Nigeria today. This confirms Young"s (2001, p. 21) statement that, "child abuse and neglect are an integral part of the modern world including African society and Nigeria in particular. Corporal punishment is widely given as a result of disobedience in any child. These include caning and in some communities in Nigeria, painful punishment such as rubbing pepper into the genital region is practiced."

According to Akinyemi (2013, p. 1) child abuse, "is any act of misuse of a child in any form, it is a situation where a child is not being provided the much needed necessities of life, where a child is maltreated physically, sexually or emotionally and this is detrimental to the future growth and development of such a child." AlsoJournal of Child Abuse and Neglect defines child abuse as, "any act or failure to act on the part of parents or caregivers which results to death, serious physical or emotional harm of any child". It is also, any situation in which a child is suffering from serious physical injury inflicted upon him/her by any other accidental means. The journal further explained that child abuse is a clinical condition in which child"s health, moral or emotional wellbeing is endangered by intentional act. (Kempe 1992, p .41). Berelson (2001, p. 45) explained that, "child abuse can be seen as embracing an act of commission or omission and any condition resulting from intentional act that deprives a child equal rights and liberty or interfere with the child"s optimal development". This is viewed from the angle that children have certain rights whose violations may disrupt their chances in life forever.

National Information on Child Abuse (2003) defines the term as, "any behaviour directed towards a child by a parent, guardian, care giver and other family members or adult, which endangers a child"s physical or emotional health and development." Generally, child abuse is a situation where the rights of a child are violated or trample upon which affects the child emotional, physical or mental welfare negatively. Child Protective Services Agency in the State of Texas (US) in 2002 gave what amounts to a legal definition of child abuse. According to it, "they are acts or omissions by any person leading to mental or emotional injury to a child that results in material and observable impairment in the child"s growth, development or psychological functioning".

Byers (1999, p. 51) added that, "it is a blanket term for four types of child maltreatment. They are physical abuse, sexual abuse, emotional abuse and neglect". Supporting this classification, Armstrong (1993, p. 3) views child abuse as neglect of children by their parents or caregivers; emotional or psychological abuse of children; physical abuse as well as child sexual abuse (CSA)". He further notes that physical abuse is derived from neglect and this includes a lot of children hawking goods and wares on streets, instead of being in school. Some kids are seen hawking table water in motor parks, imagine what will happen to a girl-child hawking goods in motor parks in the midst of criminals, many of such girls have been raped and maimed.

However, physical abuse may come in form of beating, battering, caning, spanking, slapping, choking, punching, biting, ear-twisting and sexual abuse. Emotional abuse destroys a child"s self esteem. Such abuses include repeated verbal abuse of a child in form of shouting, threats and degrading or humiliating criticisms. Neglect refers to emotional deprivation i.e. lack of caring, loving and empathy towards a child. This can come in form of cold and distant behaviour, punishment for certain behaviour and inconsistent reward, for instance, by failing to enroll a child in school at all or in a befitting school as others.

The media, in this case the television, in performance of their various duties in the society, have not been left out in the efforts at eliminating child abuse in the country. The broadcast media by their very nature are influential particularly in issues of creating awareness, mass mobilization and sensitization, influencing public opinion and calling attention to pressing sociocultural issues in the society. Broadcasting is the primary means by which information and entertainment are delivered to the public in virtually every nation around the world.

The television on the other hand is very popular and influential because of its multi-sensory appeal even though its accessibility may be limited in many rural areas of the country. The pictures in the television screen evoke a sense of reality and believability. Television is very powerful tool of social engineering. Apart from their primary roles of informing, educating and entertaining the public, the broadcast medium also provide platform for advertising, correlation of parts of the society; create awareness, play significant roles in social mobilization and sensitization. They play a significant role in forming and influencing people"s attitudes and behaviors.

Accordingly, Goddard and Saunder (2001, p.13) draw attention to the essential roles of the media in increasing society"s awareness of and response to child abuse and neglect. They note that the role played by the media through news and features that are reported on specific child abuse cases, research and intervention strategies. Brawley (1999, p.40) concurs that "such media attention to child abuse has, at times, positively influenced public, professional and political responses to the circumstances in which children and young people find themselves". He further suggested that proper understanding of media influence and how to use the media constructively may thus be an essential tool for those who advocate for children, young people and their families.

Thus, this study sets out to evaluate the effectiveness of these broadcast media efforts at combating child abuse in the Southeastern Nigeria. Southeast geo-political region is an accumulation of five states in Nigeria; Abia, Imo, Anambra,Enugu and Ebonyi. It is dominated by igbo speaking people and mainly Christians.

1.2 Statement of the Problem

Child abuse has become one of the social maladies plaguing the global society in varying degrees particularly in Nigeria. Despite all the provisions of extant laws in the country, many Nigerian children are still subjected to physical and mental violence, neglect and maltreatment, even while with parents and guardians. This worrisome development is enhanced by the fact that many parents these days hardly devote quality time to their children because of the demands of their jobs. The incidence of child abuse in their different forms like child trafficking, kidnappings, killing of children for ritual purposes and establishment of baby factories in different parts of the southeast as are frequently reported in the mass media is pointer to alarming increase in child abuse.

The mass media, especially the television have been in the fore-front of the efforts to combat this social malaise. Through investigative journalism, different programmes and campaigns, the broadcast media have been able to expose such issues of child abuse as baby factories, cases of child trafficking, ritual murders of the children and canvass for their stoppage.

However, the efforts of the broadcast media do not seem to have reasonably influenced or reasonably reduced the incidence of child abuse in the country. Going by available literature, child abuse seems to be on the increase. For instance, in the words of Abah (2014), "this is not the best time to be born in Nigeria. We just have to face the reality." She seems at a loss at, "what can we do to be able to arrest the evil trend? To be able to ensure that every Nigerian child, no matter the socio-economic background, is given the best, at least, a reasonably safe environment because there is a lot of insanity around."

The picture painted above clearly indicts the perceived power of the broadcast media to influence public opinion on burning contemporary issues. The implication is that the broadcast media may not have been effective in their efforts in combating child abuse. It is based on the above, that this study seeks to answer the question: how have the broadcast media been used in combating child abuse in southeast Nigeria?

1.3 Objectives of the Study

The general goal of this study is to determine the use of television as a watchdog against child abuse, labour and trafficking.

The specific objectives are to:

Determine the level of awareness created by the television broadcast on the issue of child abuse in Southeast Nigeria.

Examine the quantity and quality of messages conveyed by the television broadcast on child abuse in Southeast Nigeria.

Ascertain the frequency of these messages on child abuse as conveyed by the broadcast media.

Ascertain the challenges the television broadcast media face in their efforts to combat child abuse in Southeast Nigeria

1.4 Research Questions

To realize the objectives of this study, the following research questions were asked:

What is the level of awareness created by the television broadcast media on the issue of child abuse in Southeast Nigeria?

What is the quality of messages conveyed by the television broadcast media on child abuse in Southeast Nigeria?

What is the frequency of these messages on child abuse as conveyed by the broadcast media in Southeast Nigeria?

What are the challenges the television broadcast media face in the efforts at combating child abuse?

1.5 Research Hypotheses

The following hypotheses are also formulated to guide this study:

H1: The extent of compliance with television messages on child abuse is dependent on the frequency of such messages.

H2: The effectiveness of television messages on child abuse is dependent on the quality of such messages.

1.6 Scope of the Study

The study is designed to cover the five states in the South East geo-political zone in Nigeria namely Abia, Anambra, Ebonyi, Enugu and Imo states. The scope of the study is limited to broadcast media of television and therefore excludes the print media. Accordingly, only broadcast programmes and messages that bear directly or indirectly on child abuse were considered for this study.

1.7 Significance of the Study

The findings of study will be of help to broadcast media professionals in providing information on how to effectively engage the public on the nagging issue of child abuse particularly in the areas of programme packaging, audience selection and programme time. This is really important because it amounts to futile efforts when the receiving audience is not the target audience. Besides, the programme language and packaging have a role to play on how the issue under discussion is perceived.

The findings will also help government in the formulation of people- oriented policies and laws concerning child abuse victims and enable the media to increase the awareness of the existence of some organizations responsible for protecting and enforcing child rights law particularly in effecting the necessary amendments in the areas enforcement and defence of the child"s rights.

This work will assist the activities of various social bodies that are concerned with eradicating child abuse. Though, the task is enormous and cannot be achieved by a single body, gainful collaboration with the media especially, broadcast media will go a long way in getting kids off the streets and ultimately put an end to child abuse in the southeast. It will enable the media as an institution representing the masses to be more effective in their roles and what the public expects from them in eradicating child abuse.

Academically, this study will add to the existing knowledge and serve as a source of reference for students. It will bridge the literature gap between previous studies and the current study done on this issue. It will also be a stepping stone for further research.

Theoretically, this study provides a practical explanation of the social responsibility theory and the selective perception theory which see media consumers as being active, retentive and has the ability to expose them to that which is in-line with their beliefs and pre-existing knowledge. Also, the media are constitutionally charged to be socially responsible to the plight of the people and should consistently be responsive to the social ills that affect the development of the society where they operate.

It will also help to redirect the deviating attention given to children by parents, caregivers and the society at large as it will help imbibe the notion that the quality of our future is dependent on the quality and quantity of love, attention, care and protective given restore the dignity of children in southeast Nigeria.

1.8 Definition of Terms

For proper understanding of the terms used in this study, the following definitions are hereby made:

Broadcasting:

Broadcasting is seen in line with International Telecommunication Union"s definition of the concept.

Child:

A child is any young person under the age of 18. A child could be a boy or girl. Anyone that is referred to as a child is someone from 0 year to 18 years.

Child Abuse:

This is any act, commission or omission by any person leading to mental or emotional injury on a child that results in mental impairment that is obvious in the child"s growth, development or psychological functioning. It could also be the violation of the fundamental human right of a child and "Child Right Act" that can be prosecuted in the court of law.

1.9 Organization of Study

The study is divided into five chapters. Chapter one deals with the study"s introduction and gives a background to the study. Chapter two reviews related and relevant literature. The chapter three gives the research methodology while the chapter four gives the study"s analysis and interpretation of data. The study concludes with chapter five which deals on the summary, conclusion and recommendation.

Conclusion and Recommendation

5.1 Summary

This study investigated television as a watchdog against child abuse, labour and trafficking in southeast Nigeria. The attempted to find out whether television broadcast media as a social institution have lived up to its social responsibility of informing, educating and sensitizing the people in southeast Nigeria on issues regarding the prevalence and dangers of child abuse. It was also aimed to determine the level of awareness created by the broadcast media on the nagging issue of child abuse, the frequency and quality of such message; its effectiveness, the level of public compliance to these messages and the challenges the broadcast media face in combating child abuse. The study was informed by identified gaps in extant literature on the subject matter and the need to contribute to knowledge by filling those gaps.

Our review of literature, for instance, clearly showed the existence of a rich array of studies on the subject but it nonetheless observed that the bulk of such studies to date focus mainly on the more advanced countries like the United Kingdom, the United States and Australia, where there is a high level of data systematization. Our review further observed the dearth of such studies in the less developed countries like Nigeria and also the near absence of area of studies in such places.

5.2 Conclusion

The findings of this study have shown that the television broadcast media are living up to their social responsibility of environmental scanning, informing, educating and sensitizing the public on the evils of child abuse by setting it up as an agenda for public discourse. It discloses that the television broadcast media have done this through regular, high-quality messages on child abuse. They have been able to speak out against the abuse of children"s rights as well as the obnoxious cultural beliefs that reinforce these abuses.

However, despite the commendable efforts of the television broadcast media, the abuse of children"s rights is not abating. We are daily inundated with different breaches of children"s rights in different parts of the country. Cases of pedophile abound in the northern parts of the country, child hawking, beating and maltreatment are the order of the day in every part of the country while baby factories thrive in the southeast.

Parents and guardians who cannot maintain peaceful and stable homes have not helped matters either. We discovered that instability at home and economic pressures are at the heart of the rampaging child abuse in the country. Illiteracy and cultural beliefs in different parts of the country are also to blame. Also disturbing is the problem of lack of proper delineation of child discipline and child abuse. What should pass as child abuse across all cultures has not been clearly defined because one man"s child discipline is another man"s child abuse.

Finally, we conclude that child abuse is too sensitive and important to be left for the media houses alone to tackle. The government does not seem to have done enough to stem the tide of child abuse. Much as we commend and encourage the mass media for the much that they have done, we urge the government and public-spirited individuals to join in the fight against the monster called child abuse.

5.3 Recommendations

On the strength of the findings of this study, the following recommendations are made:

The media should embark on advocacy and prescription more determinedly. Though the media do not make laws or formulate policies for the government, they can canvass for more effective legislations that will protect the children from abuse. For instance, the vexing issue of "locus standi" in prosecuting offenders and abusers of children"s rights should be made less stringent to enable people to come to the aid of abused children.

Media programmes should explore avenues for rallying stakeholders in child welfare and child abuse eradication crusade, enlightenment programmes, public awareness and reports of child abuse cases should be done, using the public prescribe medium (radio) to disseminate information on child abuse in South-East Nigeria.

The fight against child abuse should be taken down to the family level where parents and guardians are found. By this, it means that churches, women groups, market places and other social gatherings are veritable arena where the fight may be positive. Hence, interpersonal and group becomes serious instruments to aid the mass media to achieve the desired result.

Broadcast media organizations in southeast Nigeria should advocate collaboration of relevant government agencies as well as non-governmental organization in charge of child welfare to set up and fund child rights association in primary, post-primary and other schools in the locality as a way of training and inculcating the right values in children, and stress that education policy should include subjects and programmes concerning child"s right and welfare in the school curricular.

The broadcast media should be more public-oriented in their programmes. The paucity of phone-in programmes on child abuse is a major handicap. Through such audience-participating programmes, they should be able to gauge public opinion and views on the issue and thus equip themselves on how to tackle the problem.

The findings of this study should be a stepping stone for further investigation.

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