Violence exposure among children in Nigeria

Introduction There is a paucity of information on the exposure of children to violence in Nigeria. The current study aims, as part of a larger study, to explore the experiece of children to violence in their homes in Nigeria. Objectives To determine the prevalence and pattern of violence exposure of children in Ilorin Nigeria. Methods Cross sectional survey of 1,554 secondary school students aged 11-18 years in Ilorin Nigeria using multistage random sampling technique with proportional allocation was done. Respondents completed the ICAST-CH questionnaire which covers childrens’ exposue to violence. Prevalence of violence exposure was computed. Results 63.4% (994/1554) of respondesnts had witnessed violence at home. Table 1: Pattern of violence exposure at home in the last 12 months Form Frequency Percentage* Violence Exposure* (n=994) Something stolen from home 532 53.5 Adults shouted in a frightening way 392 39.4 Witnessed adults in home hit, kick, slap 378 38.0 Seen people being shot, bombs, rioting 210 21.1 Adults used alcohol then frightened 82 8.2 Someone close got killed near home 56 5.6 Witnessed adults in home use weapons 10 1.0 Conclusions A good number of children in Nigeria might be exposed to violence. There is thus a need for initiative to strengthen family life and control the exposure of children to violence given its potential to cause long standing mental health problems in victims. Disclosure No significant relationships.