Child Protection Systems and Institutional Responses to Child Abuse in Ondo State

This study examines the institutional architecture of child protection in Ondo State, Southwest Nigeria, assessing how state agencies respond to reports of child abuse and the extent to which the system operationalizes children's rights under the Ondo State Child Rights Law and the CRC. Child protection systems require effective coordination among welfare agencies, police, courts, healthcare providers, and schools to function adequately, yet in most Nigerian states these components operate in organizational silos with limited interoperability. The research adopts a professional practice methodology, mapping the child protection actors in Ondo State and conducting structured interviews with officers from the Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development, Ondo State Police Command child abuse unit, healthcare social workers, and child rights civil society organizations in Akure and Ondo town. Case tracking of reported child abuse cases from 2022 to 2024 is conducted, examining outcomes from intake to disposition. Findings reveal fragmented institutional responses, high case attrition due to inadequate evidence preservation, limited availability of child-friendly interview rooms for witness statements, and near-total absence of psychosocial follow-up for abuse survivors. A revised child protection case management protocol is developed. Recommendations include the creation of a multi-agency child protection coordination committee chaired by the Ministry of Women Affairs, specialized child protection investigative units within the state police command, and dedicated children's courts. Keywords: child protection, child abuse, institutional response, Ondo State, case management.