CHILD POVERTY AND SOCIAL PROTECTION POLICIES FOR CHILDREN WITH HEARING AND SPEECH DISABILITIES IN NIGERIA: THE JOURNEY SO FAR

Abstract

The current economic situation of the country has left an indelible mark in the progress of persons with disabilities most especially among children with speech and hearing disabilities in Nigeria. Unfortunately, the effects of such economic crises-poverty have a greater impact on children with speech and hearing disabilities that experiences communicative difficulties in expressing their needs. Hence, their disabling condition forces them to live below poverty line. Although, government over the years have pronounced social protection policies to cater for the poor and needy but the effects of such policies on the population of children with speech and hearing disabilities who lives in poverty is still under questions. At present, children with speech and hearing disabilities still litters the public places and various urban streets begging for alms to survive because of neglects from government and parents who themselves are still striving to survive and could not afford to efficiently manage their children with these conditions. Based on this, the study examined the issues of childhood poverty and social protection policies in Nigeria as it affects children with speech and hearing disabilities in Nigeria. While there are some obvious lapses on the part of the policy makers the study recommended that government should consider as important better redistribution and restructuring of economic resources and income so as to narrow the wide margin between the rich and the poor in Nigeria because it would go a long way to prevent war, terrorism, outbreak of diseases, communal crises among others events that could cause childhood disabilities and downtrodden of the economy, devastating catastrophe of poverty and hunger.