CHILD ABUSE: RETHINKING THE ROLE OF THE SOCIAL WORKER IN THE MANAGEMENT

Abstract

The concept Child Abuse is a very eclectic one. Its understanding as it occurs varies from individuals, ethnic groups, religious institutions, professional bodies etc. This research discussed the occurrence of child abuse and the role of the social worker in the management.  It further discussed the various forms of child abuse such as physical abuse, verbal abuse, emotional / psychological abuse, child labour and sexual abuse / child marriage. Factors contributing to child abuse and neglect in our society were emphasized such as the parent or caregiver factors, family factors, environmental and protective factors. The population of study was the students of Crawford University, Igbesa, Ogun State in which the sample size of 222 respondents was used. The questionnaire was the instrument used in data collection and chi-square statistical analysis was used at establishing the significant difference that may exist among respondents’ frequencies.