The Legal Implications of Child Protection and Safeguarding Policies: A Nigerian Perspective

Children have the right to life, survival and development but also a right to be protected from any form of abuse, particularly in schools. Therefore, the standards for child protection in schools should be guided by the principles that prioritize the safety, well-being and rights of children. These principles form the basis of child protection safeguarding policies in schools and are paramount in ensuring a safe and secure learning environment for children. Yet the spate of child protection issues in Nigeria raises questions regarding the existence, implementation and enforcement of the pieces of legislation and policies within schools. This work not only examined the legal framework for child protection in Nigeria but also the legal implications of child safeguarding policies in schools. It argues that in order for schools to create a secure and safe environment for learning, firstly, the establishment of child safeguarding policies and procedure are critical to achieving this. Secondly, schools need to abandon the old concept of punishment-based discipline that relies on fear and embrace a more modern correction-based approach to discipline and establish structures to leverage discipline to achieve a safe and secure environment for all. It concludes that safeguarding policies should be viewed as a school’s translation of child protection legislation for action and as such, its implementation manual. In drawing lessons from the UK, the study recommended that government needs to drive child protection issues through the education of stakeholders and the establishment of an enforcement mechanism or regulatory body. This body should coordinate child safeguarding issues by providing a platform for stakeholder collaboration in order to achieve more cohesion within the sector.