| dc.description.abstract | The case of infant abandonment has emerged as a critical social and human rights crisis in Nigeria, with hundreds of cases reported annually across states. Despite existing laws such as the Child Rights Act, 2003 and the Violence Against Persons (Prohibition) Act, 2015, enforcement remains weak, and many infants continue to be abandoned in unsafe environments. However, the drivers of this crisis include economic hardship, social stigma surrounding single motherhood, mental health challenges, and inadequate family support systems. Current legal frameworks criminalize abandonment but fail to provide preventive and rehabilitative measures.
This Policy Brief highlights the urgent need for legislative intervention to strengthen child protection mechanisms, expand maternal support programmess, and introduce Safe Haven Laws that allow mothers to relinquish infants safely without criminal liability. It also calls for public awareness campaigns, improved data collection, and stronger enforcement structures to ensure accountability.
Without decisive legislative action, Nigeria risks perpetuating cycles of neglect and abuse that undermine child rights and public health. By adopting the comprehensive legislative approach combining preventive, punitive, and supportive measures, Nigeria can safeguard its most vulnerable citizens and uphold its constitutional and international obligations. The Policy Brief, therefore, recommends that:
1. The National Assembly, through the Senate and House Committee on Judiciary and Human Rights, may strengthen enforcement mechanisms for the Child Rights Act in Nigeria by encouraging and lobbying the State Houses of Assembly and the State Government to adopt the Child Rights Act across all the 36 states with the FCT inclusive, and also establish special child protection units within the Nigerian police and the social welfare agencies across Nigeria.
2. The Federal, State, and, of course, the Local Governments in Nigeria need to expand Social Safety Nets (SSN) by introducing maternal support programs such as free housing, food stipends, and counselling support for mothers in need of such. In addition, they should also provide free mental health services for mothers at risk of abandonment.
3. The National Assembly may also enact a Safe Haven Laws. That is, to legislate on designated Children Safe Drop-Off Centers where mothers can leave infants without criminal liability which can bring greater result by working closely with institutions as the Hospitals, Police Stations, Mosques, and the churches. Similar models exist in the United States of America (U.S.) and most of the European countries which has been a major factor in reducing unsafe infant abandonment in those countries.
4. The Senate and House Committees on National Orientation may through the National Orientation Agency (NOA) and the Federal Ministry of Health coordinate Public Awareness Campaigns by nationwide campaigns programmes to destigmatize single motherhood in Nigeria. In the same vein, these government agencies may also partner with religious and community leaders to promote child protection.
5. Lastly, the Federal Government through the coordinated collaboration among the relevant government bodies like: Federal Ministry of Health, Federal Ministry of Environment, Federal Ministry of Communication and Digital Economy, and the Nigerian Police Force, should embark on data collection & monitoring of infant abandonment in Nigeria which will ensure mandatory reporting of abandonment cases by hospitals and law enforcement agencies nationwide in order to track incidents and interventions. | en_US |
