Male Child Victim of Sexual Abuse in Nigeria

Abstract

Child sexual abuse is a vice that is sadly prevalent in our world today. Children are used for all sorts of sexual perversion from rape to defilement and even use of children for pornography.
However, in the Nigerian context, by reason of the laws defining rape as well as conventional, child sexual abuse usually connotes abuse predominantly of the female child unfortunately to the neglect of the male child sufferer of sexual abuse. These children’s perspectives have rarely been explored in relation to the help they receive towards their emotional and mental well-being. At times the affected children are reluctant to seek consultation with specialists or quickly cease further contact. It is therefore imperative to evolve legal and policy instruments to involve young male children in decisions and mechanisms likely to affect their lives and future endeavours.
This paper thus seeks to examine the incidence of male child sexual abuse in Nigeria, looking at the laws and suggesting areas where the Law might be needed reform in order to provide instruments that will adequately protect both the male and female children against sexual abuse.