Some residents of the FCT say that installing Closed Circuit Television (CCTV) in homes can help curb physical and sexual abuse on children.
The residents told newsmen in Abuja that with the increase in child abuse, it is advisable to install CCTV in homes.
Mrs. Franca Etinosa, a fashion designer, said she installed CCTV in her house to help monitor her kids in her absence.
According to her, CCTV is my third eye, as I am always busy in my shop.
”The cameras give me control over my home, even in my absence.
“I wouldn’t want to bring my kids to my work place, so I let them stay at home with some of my relatives. I installed CCTV to enable me monitor their activities from the shop.
“With the cameras, I have total control of my house because even when I’m not around, everybody behaves well. They know I can call at any time or even come back home if anything goes wrong,” she said.
Etinosa also said that installing CCTV was her way of protecting her children from any form of abuse as no one could be trusted.
“With the way things are going on in our society, everyone is a suspect; including my relatives, my domestic staff, even their lesson teachers.
“The rate of child abuse and molestation is alarming and I will not expose my children to such.
”Installing CCTV is the only way I can keep my eyes on them considering how busy I am,” she added.
Mrs. Charity Abosi, a banker, said that she installed CCTV, to prevent her domestic staff from physically abusing her children.
“I have heard of what nannies and house helps do to children in their care and I don’t want to take chances.
“My job demands most of my time and I wouldn’t want anybody to maltreat my kids in my absence, so I installed CCTV cameras to check my house help,” she said.
However, some women acknowledged the importance of CCTV in homes but complained of the challenges of installing the system.
Mrs. Mary Uwem, a teacher who resides in Kuje, said she would have loved to install the device but electricity was a major challenge in her area.
“We don’t always have electricity in my area, and it won’t be economical to be spending heavily on petrol. This device makes use of electricity, I can only consider it when we have steady power supply,” she said.
Another civil servant, Mrs. Ezinne Mark, said she would not want to waste money installing CCTV in her small apartment.
She said that she still had control over her house, as she had few people living with her.
Mark said she would consider the device only when she moves into her own house.
“For now, I live in a two-bedroom apartment and I have just one kid and one house help, so I think I can still keep an eye on them.
“It will be a waste of money to install CCTV in this small apartment.
“Maybe when I move into my own house which should be bigger than this, I’ll install them. Then, I will have more kids to worry about,” she said.
However, a CCTV installer, Mr. Shadrack Maduabuchukwu, explained that the cost of installing CCTV varied, depending on the type and number of cameras to be installed.
He said that the cost also depended on the number of cables used, the size , nature of the building and the services of the installer.
Maduabuchukwu noted that there were cheaper cameras for those who could not afford expensive ones, with sizes for all types of houses.
To curb electricity issues, Maduabuchukwu said that there were solar powered CCTV, which could guarantee twenty-four hours power supply.
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He advised parents, especially those with busy work schedules, to install CCTV, to enable them keep an eye on their children.
“Basically, there are CCTV cameras for everyone and for every building. Just tell us your budget and if it is what we can work with, we will do the installation for you.
“If you are a parent and you’re too busy to create time for your children, I will advise you to install CCTV in your home, to help you watch over them,” he advised.
