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Article Title: Violence against Children: The Criminality of Killing a Child Armed with a Fake Gun
by Felicia Anyogu and Beatrice Nkechi Okpalaobi

Abstract:
Violence against children is abuses perpetrated against children that affect their mental, emotional, spiritual and physiological development. Possession of gun by a child though a �fake� one is an aberration in our criminal justice system. The reason and the problem why some children get themselves involved in such acts could most times be traced to the way and manner in which a child is abused in the process of growing up. As a result of this, one�s mind is disturbed as to the legality/criminality or otherwise of such acts by children. This paper seeks to address the issue of violence and criminality in possessing a fake gun by children and the culpability thereof. The major challenge and limitation of the study is the high level of illiteracy on the part of caregivers to these children to making them change the age long mentality that a child must be malhandled before he/she conform to some moral principles. It is the researcher now that constant literacy awareness in different languages in Nigeria will go a long way to re-orienting the parents/caregivers to these children and the attendant consequences to abuses.

Keywords: children, fake gun, criminality, violence, death, possession

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