INFLUENCE OF CHILD TRAFFICKING ON PERSONALITY AND ACADEMIC ADJUSTMENT AMONG JUNIOR SECONDARY SCHOOL STUDENTS IN EDO STATE, NIGERIA

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.1 Background to the Study

All over the world, the birth of a child is a thing of joy. Children therefore occupy a special position in the life of any family or nation. In African tradition as well as Nigeria and Edo state in particular, the importance of children cannot be over emphasized. In the old days, the task of caring and bringing up a child was not only that of the parents, but also the entire community. In those days parents and guardians treat their children with much love and affection. They fended for the children, give attention to their needs, and protect their interests in the cultural and social lives of the community. The above fact is without prejudice to the many forces and conditions in our society today, which violate the complete development of children and the unfolding of their potentials. One of these conditions that militate against the well – being of the child these days is child trafficking (Odigie & Chinenye 2008)

Child trafficking is a phenomenon that is currently generating a lot of concern globally, in African countries like Nigeria and Edo State in particular, where it is highly prevalent. It is the third largest criminal activity in the world today after arms and drug trafficking (Tola, 2008). In the last decade, child trafficking has considerably increased throughout the world and most especially in Nigeria. Every year, millions of children are misled or forced to submit to servitude. The United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime (2000), recognized children‟s rights, and has provided a legal basis to combat child trafficking. But their scope is limited by the lack of a clear and publicly accepted definition of child trafficking in West Africa, where the terms “trafficking”, “abduction” or “Sales of children” have different meanings in different countries.

The United Nations Palermo Protocol (2000), with its definition of trafficking, provides useful guidelines for law reforms and the criminalization of this practice. According to Article 3

• of the protocol, trafficking in persons shall mean the illegal recruitment, transportation and transfer of persons especially less than 18 years for the purpose of exploitation. By this definition, trafficking in persons is therefore, envisaged as the transfer of persons by fraudulent

means for exploitative purposes. According to United Nations Children‟s Fund (UNICEF) (2007), children are trafficked for the purpose of domestic services, prostitution and other forms of exploitative labour (UNICEF, 2007). There has been a serious concern about the causes of child trafficking in Africa as a whole and Nigeria as a country and Edo State in particular. UNICEF (2007) has identified poverty, large family size, and rapid urbanization among others as the major factors why many Nigerian children and Edo State in particular are vulnerable to trafficking.

INFLUENCE OF CHILD TRAFFICKING ON PERSONALITY AND ACADEMIC ADJUSTMENT AMONG JUNIOR SECONDARY SCHOOL STUDENTS IN EDO STATE, NIGERIA