Neglect is a form of child abuse, says school counsellor

Oform of abuse that is common but not often acknowledged is absence of care in a child’s life and this has adverse effect on the academic performance of pupils, head of counselling, Greensprings School, Lagos, Ms Chinelo Nkennor has said. Nkenor in a chat with

at the child protection training programme organised for new employees of the school, said many children in Nigeria are victims of one form of abuse or another.

She said beyond the rampant cases of sexual and physical abuse, a lot of children are also exposed to psychological and emotional abuse.

According to her, “The essence of the child protection training was to provide employees with the knowledge and ability to recognise different types of abuse and learn how to safeguard children both within and outside the school premises. Child protection is very key to our operations. Children deserve to be protected, so as adults we need to think safety and take responsibility in safeguarding the pupils.

“Ability to pay proper attention to pupils and understand their emotions is also key. Neglecting their feelings is one major form of abuse that needs to be tackled as this also has a way of affecting their academics. What neglect does to children is that it causes them to have attachment issues.

“So as a teacher or a caregiver, you should know the possible signs that a child is being abused whether emotionally, physically, verbally, or sexually, or if a child is being neglected.”