[01] Samuel Okoronkwo Chukwu-Okoronkwo, Department of Mass Communication, Abia State University, Uturu, Nigeria. [02] Nnenna Ejije Okoronkwo, Department of Pure and Industrial Chemistry, Abia State University, Uturu, Nigeria.

It needs not be gainsaid that the reality of the issues of child abuse and prostitution are irrefutable phenomena in Nigeria as in many developing and developed nations of the world as studies have shown. This development has become such a worrisome menace which besides negating the fundamental rights and dignity of the child as endorsed by the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child in 1989 also has diverse associated implications. The concern generated by this development is predicated on the consciousness of the significant position of children in the family and society as the future generation, leaders of tomorrow and potential flag-bearers of any nation, who need to be properly cared for and nurtured and as such provided the enabling environment to develop their potentials for such enormous responsibilities. Hence, the abuse and exposure of a child to prostitution has devastating consequences for both the individual child and the society at large; and undermining such consequences can result in serious far-reaching problems not just to the individual but the larger society. Although a number of factors may be adduced as accounting for this sordid development, which manifests in diverse peculiar dimensions as shall be highlighted in the course of the study, other vital concerns that equally provoke serious consideration include the increasing prevalence of the phenomena; the seeming apathy or insensibility of the society over their devastating consequences, as well as the urgent steps that need to be taken or accelerated to tackle the ugly development. To address the foregoing, the study shall critically examine these phenomena as to provide a proper platform to understand the dimensional intricacies of the issues involved and as such raise our consciousness on the urgent necessity to forge a common bond against the insidious threat posed by the phenomena.

Child Abuse, Child Exploitation, Sexual Abuse, Nigeria, Sustainable Development

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