.Agency raises the alarm over rising reports of child sexual abuse, warns parents against exposing children to suspected predators
Michael Olugbode in Abuja
The National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) has raised the alarm over reports of parents and guardians allegedly handing their children over to men for sexual exploitation in exchange for money and other benefits, warning that anyone found culpable will face prosecution.
The Director General of NAPTIP, Binta Adamu Bello, said the agency was increasingly receiving reports of parents and guardians allegedly facilitating the sexual abuse of their children, describing the practice as an extreme betrayal of the trust and responsibility placed in them to protect minors.
Bello, who spoke in Abuja yesterday, vowed that the agency would intensify surveillance, investigations and prosecution to ensure that perpetrators were brought to justice.
Her warning followed the arrest in Abuja of a middle-aged woman, whose identity was withheld, over allegations that she gave out her teenage daughter to men for sexual pleasure in exchange for money.
The NAPTIP chief described the alleged conduct as a grave form of cruelty against a child, with potentially devastating consequences for the victim’s physical and psychological well-being, health and future.
“I am personally disturbed as a mother and as the Director General of NAPTIP, by the reported cases of some parents aiding and abetting the sexual abuse of their children for monetary benefits,” she said.
“From the reports being logged both at the headquarters and in our commands across the country, it appears that this unhealthy development is on the increase.”
Bello said it was particularly troubling that individuals entrusted with the care and protection of children could allegedly become enablers of their exploitation.
“It is painful to know that the very person who is in a position of authority, either as a parent or guardian to protect and defend the child, and whom the child trusted so much, is the same person who either abuses or aids sexual assault on her,” she said.
She warned that NAPTIP would not tolerate the exploitation of children for financial gain, adding that the agency had strengthened its monitoring and enforcement mechanisms and was working with other law enforcement agencies to facilitate prompt investigations and prosecutions.
“No excuse is tenable for this devilish act, and in line with our mandates, we shall not spare anyone found culpable in any abuse and sexual assault on children across the country,” Bello said.
The Director General recalled that she had, months earlier, directed the agency’s commands nationwide to strengthen surveillance, improve rapid response mechanisms and ensure effective prosecution of cases involving child abuse and sexual assault.
She said the agency was reinforcing these measures in response to the reports reaching its headquarters and commands across the country.
Beyond parents and guardians, Bello warned that children could also be exposed to sexual predators through people who have access to their homes and daily routines, urging parents to exercise greater vigilance when engaging domestic workers and other service providers.
She specifically cautioned parents against failing to conduct proper background checks on gatekeepers, drivers, gardeners, school-run drivers and vendors who may have access to their children while the parents are away at work.
“I also wish to call on parents to be careful with the choice of servicemen and vendors who come around their houses when they are at work. It is important for all parents to carry out due diligence and proper profiling of their vendors so as not to give their children to a suspected paedophile who will continue to abuse them,” she said.
“Be careful with the choice of your gatekeepers, drivers, gardeners, and even the persons that do your school run. A lot of abuses are being carried out by suspected vendors and other known faces to the children.”
The agency urged parents and guardians to take their duty of care seriously, stressing that children must be protected from abuse by those who have access to them, whether within the family or outside it.
NAPTIP’s warning underscores the need for stronger child-protection measures, vigilance by caregivers and timely reporting of suspected abuse, as the agency pledges to pursue cases involving the sexual exploitation of minors.