Child labour is one of the socioeconomic violence against children and violation of Child Right Act that hampers sustainable child development in most of the Nigerian popular cities including Lagos metropolis. Children involve in street hawking, domestic servant, trading, street begging to mention but few have become common endemic features of economic means of survival for many Nigerian children. Reason for this largely depends on factors like urbanization, high rate of illiteracy, high level of unemployment, adoption of structural adjustment programmes (SAPs), excruciating poverty, communal clashes, insecurity, rural-urban migration, passive social welfare policy and other attendants’ socio-economic crisis of contradiction of underdevelopment confronting the Nigeria state. This paper surmises with empirical evidence that child labour impacts negatively on child development and breaches the United Nations charter on child’s rights. To extrapolate the issue critically, this paper anchored on social interaction theory of the family to explain the correlation between parental educational status and child labour in Lagos Metropolis which has not been sufficiently documented in extant Nigeria literature. In a cross-sectional survey that involved a four-stage sampling technique, 400 respondents, aged 7-17, took part in the survey. Descriptive statistics and chi-square tools were used to analyze both the univariate and bivariate variables. Findings show a significant relationship between parental educational status and child labour; employment status and child labor. It concluded that free education policy in Lagos State has not exonerated children from the economic violence of child labour while the literacy level of the parent can largely influence the involvement of children in child labour in Lagos state. The study, however, recommended among other measures affordable compulsory adult education for illiterate parent and employment opportunities for unemployed adult parents in order to protect and safeguard Nigerian children from the detrimental implications of child labour on child sustainable development.
This paper examines the relationship between child labour and educational attainment and explores the distinction between harmful and non-harmful agricultural cocoa work. We conduct a secondary analysis of data on 3,338 children who reported attending school in 2018 across cocoa growing regions of Ghana and Côte d'Ivoire. To address differences between harmful and non-harmful child labour, we differentiated work completed by a child by hazardous activity engagement. These groups of child labour were then modelled against educational attainment, defined by a whether or not the child needed to repeat a class. We then conducted mediation analysis to assess whether injury mediates this relationship. Our results show that hazardous child labour increases the odds of repeating a class and work-related injury compared to non-hazardous labour. The effect of hazardous child labour on academic attainment was also found to be mediated by work-related injuries by 14%. Educational attainment is associated with hazardous labour activities and the odds of injury and not the act of participation in agricultural labour alone. Programmes based on strong measures of harmful work will foster better protection for children who are most at risk and may inform global debates around the benefits versus the risks of child labour.
Lucy T. Pirkle, Cathy Zimmerman, Santadarshan Sadhu et al.
Introduction: Female genital mutilation (FGM), also known as female genital cutting or circumcision, threatens the health and well-being of millions of girls, women, and their children around the world. In Senegal, FGM practices persist despite numerous interventions. This study aims to analyze the determinants of FGM in Senegal. Methods: This article uses data from the 2018 Senegal Demographic and Health Survey (DHS), a nationally representative survey of 9413 women aged 15-49 years. In the descriptive analysis, variables were presented in terms of frequency and percentage of data. The significance level was set at 5, and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were used. Variables with p values less than 0.25 in the bivariate analysis were selected for multivariate analysis. The dependent variable was a composite variable generated from 3 DHS variables that described the types of post-FGM genital lesions that exist in women. The analysis was performed using STATA/SE 17. Results: The prevalence of FGM is 17.14%. Eleven-point fifty-two percent (11.52%) or 999 women believe that FGM is a religiously recommended practice. Ninety-nine percent (993) of these women were Muslim (p=0.0017). Fifteen-point thirty-nine percent (15.39%) or 1,334 women think it is a practice that should continue to be practiced and 80.59% (or 6,988 women) think it should be stopped. The protective factors for the occurrence of FGM were female empowerment (high level of education of the woman (primary ajOR=0.64 [0.50-0.83] and secondary ajOR=0.43 [0.32, 0.57]) and the fact that the head of the family was a woman ajOR (0.75 [0.59-0.97]); belonging to the central region of Senegal (Diourbel, Kaolack, Thiès, Louga and Fatcick) and Christian religion (ajOr=0.05 [0.02-0.13]). The risk factors for female genital mutilation in Senegal were ethnicity and belonging to certain regions in the northeast and southeast of Senegal (Tambacounda, Matam, Kedougou). Conclusion: This study showed that FGM practices are still persistent in Senegal. This study underlined that the empowerment of women would allow the fight against FGM. Health interventions should be multisectoral, involving the education sectors with a strong investment in girls' education and retention.
Ndèye Marème Sougou, Jean Baptiste Diouf, Oumar Bassoum et al.
BACKGROUND: Female genital mutilation/cutting (FGM/C) affects more than 230 million girls and women worldwide and is associated with chronic pelvic pain, pelvic floor dysfunction, lower urinary tract symptoms, psychosexual dysfunction, and reduced quality of life. Although physiotherapy and rehabilitation may contribute to multidisciplinary care, the available evidence has not been comprehensively synthesised. OBJECTIVE: To map the existing evidence on physiotherapy and rehabilitation for women living with FGM/C and identify evidence gaps relevant to clinical practice and future research. METHODS: A scoping review was conducted following the Arksey and O'Malley framework, Levac et al.'s methodological enhancements, and PRISMA-ScR guidelines. Electronic databases and grey literature were searched from inception to January 2026. Eligible studies included adolescent (≥ 15 years) and adult women living with FGM/C, together with rehabilitation-relevant studies involving healthcare professionals. Data were charted and synthesised narratively. RESULTS: Of 872 records identified, 21 studies met the inclusion criteria. Most evidence was observational or descriptive, with only one randomized controlled trial and one rehabilitation-focused case report directly evaluating rehabilitation interventions. Frequently reported rehabilitation-related impairments included psychosexual dysfunction, chronic pelvic pain, pelvic floor dysfunction, lower urinary tract symptoms, dyspareunia, and reduced quality of life. Reported rehabilitation approaches included pelvic floor rehabilitation, bladder retraining, biofeedback, psychosexual rehabilitation, and multidisciplinary care. Only one study included adolescents, and none specifically evaluated rehabilitation interventions for this population. CONCLUSION: Women living with FGM/C experience substantial rehabilitation needs affecting physical, psychosexual, urinary, and psychosocial health. Although physiotherapy and rehabilitation are increasingly recognised as important components of multidisciplinary care, direct evidence evaluating rehabilitation interventions remains limited. Future research should prioritise rehabilitation-focused intervention studies, implementation research, and standardised outcome measures to strengthen the evidence base and inform comprehensive, survivor-centred care.
Female genital mutilation/cutting (FGM/C) is recognized globally as carrying risks to both the physical and psychological health of girls and women and is widely considered a violation of human rights. An estimated 200 million girls and women in 30 countries have undergone FGM/C and as many as 30 million girls younger than 15 years of age are at risk. A common policy response to FGM/C is to call for the enactment and enforcement of criminal prohibitions on the practice. Yet, compliance with laws is complex: it can be motivated and undercut by moral, social, religious, and incentive-based factors. The study detailed in this working paper was conducted in two neighboring countries. Researchers selected Burkina Faso (which has a strong FGM/C law) and Mali (which has no specific FGM/C law) to explore attitudes and tendencies toward obeying the law and continuing FGM/C practices while controlling for many potentially confounding variables.
Joséphine Wouango, Susan L. Ostermann, Daniel M. Mwanga
About 115 to 130 million girls and young women have experienced FGM/C, otherwise referred to as Female Genital Mutilation/cutting and an additional three million are at risk each year. It is one of the most political areas of women’s health. The practice of FGM/C harms the physical, psychological, reproductive and sexual health of women and is a violation of women’s fundamental human rights. The federal government of Nigeria in 2015 enacted the Violence against Person’s Prohibition Act which made provisions criminalising FGM. However the VAPP Act is only applicable in the Federal Capital Territory because it is a matter provided for under the concurrent legislative list. Hence, other states of the federation are expected to pass the same law to become applicable within their states. The main objective of this study is to ascertain, the extent to which FGM is harmful to female reproductive health and ascertain the effectiveness of the VAPP Act, the Constitution and other health policies of government in the eradication of FGM. Despite the VAPP Act which criminalised the offence of FGM there is still a high level of ignorance amongst practitioners. Apart from the violation of the right against torture and the dignity of the human person the study found that there are other dangers associated with the practice varying from danger to physical health resulting from unhygienic and unskilled procedures. Other lifelong effects can result in infertility, since the procedure can limit sexuality and childbearing capacity. Keywords: Female Genital Mutilation, Reproductive Health DOI: 10.7176/JLPG/100-07 Publication date: August 31 st 2020
Female genital mutilation is defined by the World Health Organization as the non-therapeutic damage or removal of a woman's external genitalia, affecting an estimated 200 million girls and women globally. Female genital mutilation is primarily practiced in about 30 countries, including Nigeria, where over 20 million women and girls are impacted. Often performed on girls from infancy to puberty. Female genital mutilation is rooted in gender inequality and linked to motivations such as ensuring virginity and securing marriage prospects. Despite its severe complications, including pain, infection, and death, the practice persists due to religious, hygienic, and sociocultural justifications. METHODOLOGY: This study aimed to assess the awareness and perceptions of Female genital mutilation and Gender-based violence among residents of Ebonyi State, Nigeria. Data were collected via a hybrid questionnaire from 60 residents, analyzed using Excel and Power BI. RESULT: Results showed that 85% were aware of Female genital mutilation, but 65% were unaware of Gender-based violence. Additionally, 56% were unaware of related campaigns, and 65% were unaware of support services. DISCUSSION: Despite high awareness of Female genital mutilation, significant gaps in knowledge about Gender-based violence and available support services indicate a need for enhanced community outreach, particularly in rural areas. CONCLUSION: The study concludes that addressing Female genital mutilation and Gender-based violence requires comprehensive approaches, including legal reforms, community education, and support systems for survivors. Engaging men and boys and challenging harmful norms are essential, alongside sustained global cooperation and community involvement to eliminate these practices.
Female genital mutilation (FGM) under the guise of female circumcision is still practiced across wider communities in Nigeria despite various dangers associated with it and several efforts to curtail the practice. This study investigated the prevalence of and personal disposition towards female genital mutilation in 345 university undergraduate students of Michael Okpara University of Agriculture, Umudike (MOUAU), South east Nigeria using a pre-tested structured questionnaire. The major inclusion criteria for the face-to-face interview were being a female student of MOUAU and consented approval. Associations between various variable were tested with Chi square and statistical significance was established at P < 0.05. There was no association (P = 0.165) between place of birth and circumcision status, whereas state of circumcision had a significant association (P = 0.00001) with willingness to carry out circumcision in daughter in the future. Also, the belief that non-circumcised girls are prone to prone to promiscuity in adulthood had a significant (P = 0.00001) association with prospective circumcision of daughters. The prevalence of circumcision is high in this population (30.1%) with a reasonable number (16.8%) seeing no ills in the practice and expressed willingness to sustain it. Therefore, a strategy to curtail this practice has to focus on creating awareness at correcting this misconception as a learning theme at the tertiary level of education system rather than an assumption of passive knowledge. Further studies involving many universities in the study area and South-eastern Nigeria in particular are suggested to validate the results of this study.
Kabir Ayobami Raheem, Chikwendu Lawrence Udenze, Ismail Ayoade Odetokun
The conundrum of female genital mutilation FGM, is a consequential issue of public concern. Many people debunked the fact that FGM is becoming a global issue. Well, there is no doubt that many countries in the world do not practice this perennial aged tradition. However, many countries in Africa, Asia, and Europe etc. are amidst the countries that practice these idiosyncrasies/ disgruntle tradition. In Nigeria, female genital mutilation has been on a high increase, a situation that has led to the demise of many young girls who would have been prominent Nigerians in the nearest future. The paper was to examine Application of Social and Behavioural Change Communication in Eradicating Female Genital Mutilation in Cross River State. Moreso, KABBs model, Advocacy strategy and Social and Behavioural Change Communication (SBCC) was adopted to buttress the paper. However, the study concluded that societal beliefs system and random cultural practices was a major factors militating against the aversion of genital mutilation practices in Cross River State. Therefore, the paper recommends that Laws should be advocated that will discourage the practices of FGM in Cross River State and Nigeria at large. Also, International organizations, government and NGOs should double bids in the fight against female genital mutilation in Nigeria with specific emphasis in the affected areas.
Female genital mutilation is still strongly supported and done in some communities in Delta State despite the campaign against it. This is because of the sociocultural factors that support this practise. Determinants of female genital mutilation in Delta State's rural and urban populations are therefore examined in this paper in terms of sociocultural factors. The study made use of cognitive dissonance theory. The use of both a questionnaire and an extensive interview schedule was part of a mixed technique study. Using the Yamane sample size calculation, 400 people were chosen as the study's sample. The study's participants were chosen using a multi-stage sampling technique. To test the study's hypotheses, the Pearson Product Moment Correlation method was employed. According to the study, female genital mutilation practise complicates childbirth for both mother and baby. This is due to poor hymen cutting, which makes it more likely for the mother and child to get infectious infections as a result and put their health at danger. According to the study, female genital mutilation should be discouraged through education and increased anti-mutilation campaigns.
Elo-ghene Belin, RALPH-IMONIRUWE,, O. , Ogege, S., Mrs. E. O. Ejechi
