UNICEF report puts cost of violence against children in Nigeria at N1.42trn

A new report the United Nations Children and Education Fund, UNICEF, has put the cost of violence against children in Nigeria at a staggering N1.42 trillion.

According to the report, the amount is equivalent to 1.6 per cent of Nigeria’s Gross Domestic Product.

The report was released on Thursday in Abuja jointly by the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Budget and National Planning, Mr Olajide Olawale, the UNICEF Representative in Nigeria, Mohammed Fall, the Minister of Finance, Mrs Zainab Ahmed and other top officials in both the public and private sectors of the economy.

Breaking down the cost, the report said the cost of physical violence against children accounted for N1.01 trillion, while 52 per cent of boys and 50 per cent of girls in Nigeria were victims of physical violence before the age of 18.

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The report further put the cost of sexual violence against children in Nigeria at N307 billion, adding that 11 per cent of boys and 25 per cent of girls in Nigeria were victims of sexual violence before the age of 18.

The balance of N91 billion, the report said was the cost of emotional violence suffered by children in Nigeria.
It also noted that 20 per cent of boys and 17 per cent of girls in Nigeria were victims of emotional violence prior to the age of 18.

The UNICEF Representative, Mohammed Fall, while speaking at the unveiling of the report, Speaking during the unveiling of the report, said it was important for the country to pay more attention to the issue of child protection in order to achieve Sustainable Development Goals by 203

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