EXPLORING CHILD PROTECTION: UNDERSTANDING CULTURAL AND LEGAL PERSPECTIVES IN THE CONTEXT OF CHILD TRAFFICKING IN NIGERIA

Abstract

Child trafficking remains a pressing concern in Nigeria, leading to numerous cases of child rights abuses and the exploitation of children for labour. This practice is morally and legally unacceptable. Nigeria's legal system embraces legal pluralism, allowing for the coexistence of inherited English law, traditional rules, and religious principles. However, this environment has often caused ambiguity surrounding human rights issues, particularly child rights. Thus, the purpose of this research is to investigate how culture and customs affect the continuation of child trafficking in Nigeria. This paper highlights the conflicting perspectives within Nigerian society on child trafficking. It also evaluates how well the current institutional and legal frameworks handle this problem. Textual analysis is the mainstay of the research methodology, which highlights the necessity of an interdisciplinary approach to effectively address the problem's several facets. In the end, the study comes to the conclusion that divergent opinions call for a change in strategy to stop child trafficking and safeguard children's human rights.