The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has raised concerns over the state of child protection in Nigeria, revealing that six in 10 children experience some form of abuse, while only two in five children under the age of five have their births registered.
The agency also disclosed that two in five young women in Nigeria were married before the age of 18, a situation it said continues to expose millions of children to abuse, exploitation and exclusion from essential services.
UNICEF Nigeria’s Chief of Child Protection, Natalie McCauley, disclosed this in Abuja on Friday during the Child Protection Mid-Year Review and consultations for the development of UNICEF Nigeria’s 2028–2032 Country Programme.
Ms McCauley said the figures represent children whose safety, identity, education, health and future opportunities remain at risk, stressing that child protection efforts should be judged by their impact on children’s lives rather than the number of activities delivered.
The meeting brought together government officials, United Nations agencies, development partners, civil society organisations and private sector representatives to assess progress and identify priorities for strengthening child protection systems across the country.
