Perspectives on the battered child syndrome in Nigeria

The battered child syndrome remains an understudied phenomenon in Nigeria. This is partly due to the romanticized and the “noble savage” image which holds that child abuse cannot occur in Africa. Even when it is occasionally discovered, it tends to be blamed on urbanization. Evidence now shows that some cultural practices in Nigeria could be defined as child battering. Many types of child battering which occur include: physical abuse, some forms of female circumcision, nonaccidental injury, corporal punishment, infanticide, and abandonment. Other types are sexual abuse, emotional abuse, and malnutrition. A current focus on the battered child syndrome may avert problems for future generations of Nigerians.