Child Abuse in Contemporary Nigeria: Evaluating Abuja Anglican Diocese Response and Sustainable Prevention Strategies

Abstract

Child abuse remains a troubling social and moral problem in Nigeria, spanning religious, cultural, and economic boundaries. Despite national child protection laws and the moral influence of religious institutions, cases of physical, sexual, and emotional abuse, neglect, and exploitation continue to rise, often concealed by silence, shame, and cultural acceptance. The Christian Church, as a powerful moral force in Nigerian society, bears special responsibility to protect children within its fold and beyond. This article evaluates the Anglican Diocese of Abuja's response to child abuse, examining its safeguarding structures, pastoral interventions, educational programmes, and reporting mechanisms, while identifying gaps that undermine effective protection within the Diocese and the wider Church of Nigeria (Anglican Communion). Using Urie Bronfenbrenner's Ecological Systems Theory, the study situates child abuse within the layered systems of family, church, community, and national policy that shape children's safety or vulnerability. Adopting a qualitative, literature-based methodology, the research draws on Anglican safeguarding documents, scholarly literature on African child protection, and Nigerian child rights legislation. Findings reveal that while the Diocese has made commendable efforts through safeguarding committees, child protection sermons, and counselling units, structural weaknesses, including inadequate funding, cultural silence, weak enforcement, and insufficient clergy training, continue to limit impact. The article concludes with sustainable prevention strategies grounded in theological conviction and practical policy, arguing that genuine child protection demands the Church move from occasional pronouncements to systematic, well-resourced, and community-embedded safeguarding action.

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