Cultural and Legal Perspectives on Child Protection in the Context of Child Trafficking in Nigeria

Child trafficking remains an alarming issue in Nigeria. Child trafficking leads to various child rights abuses, and it is also a mean for acquiring child labourers. It is therefore evident that such practice cannot be tolerated both morally and legally. It is well acknowledged that the legal pluralism in the Nigerian legal system permits the cohabitation of the inherited English legal system, some traditional rules, and religious rules. The environment legal pluralism has often created ambiguity regarding human rights in general and child rights in particular. Hence this paper examines the role of culture and traditions in the perpetuation of child trafficking in Nigeria. The paper shows that in the Nigerian context, there are conflicting views on the issue. The paper also evaluates the efficacy of legal and institutional frameworks available in addressing the problem. The research methodology relied upon is predominantly textual analysis. It is necessary to proceed from an interdisciplinary approach in order to address the various questions sufficiently. The paper concludes that conflicting views must lead to a paradigm shift in approaches to the phenomenon of child trafficking to ensure and secure a system where children’s human rights are well protected.