ABSTRACT
Violence against children involves physical, psychological and mental harm and sexual abuse that affects the well-being of the child, his/her survival, dignity and development. Most harm inflicted on children is caused by gender, cultural and social norms and these kinds of abuse cut across religious and socio-economic groupings. The aim of this study is to provide a content analysis of print media representation of gender-based violence against children in two national newspapers in Nigeria – The Guardian and The Punch – from January to December 2021. Study findings indicate that GBV against children is under-reported, but violence against girls is presented as part of a wider pattern of men's violence against women of all ages, with many reports including statistical information and drawing upon the expertise of specialist organisations to put references to individual cases into context. Victim-blaming strategies were, however, still in evidence.
