Lagos condemns viral video mocking bedwetting child

The Lagos State Domestic and Sexual Violence Agency has condemned a viral social media video in which a child appeared to be publicly mocked over bedwetting.

The agency described the incident as an act of verbal and emotional abuse, stressing that bedwetting should not be used as a reason to shame, ridicule or humiliate a child.

The DSVA stated this on Saturday in a post on its official X account while reacting to the viral video.

In the 49-second TikTok clip, several women appeared one after another, introducing themselves in relation to a person described as a bedwetter.

The video showed the women, dressed in different outfits, speaking and gesturing before joining together to tease a young boy dressed in traditional attire.

The boy appeared shy and uncomfortable as the women surrounded him, hugged, grabbed and playfully lifted him while laughing.

One of the women was also seen waving cash during the episode.

The accompanying audio repeatedly featured the women saying, “Emi ko ni atole o,” meaning “I’m not the bedwetter,” before identifying themselves as the bedwetter’s mother, sisters, cousins and other relatives.

Towards the end of the video, one person admitted, “Emi ni atole” — “I am the bedwetter” — prompting the group to chant, “A pata mole, atole!” meaning “We have caught him, bedwetter.”

Reacting to the footage, the DSVA said the behaviour amounted to verbal and emotional abuse of a child.

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“What we are seeing here is verbal and emotional abuse of a child,” the agency said.

It added that bedwetting was not a justification for exposing a child to ridicule or humiliation.

“Bedwetting is not a reason to shame, ridicule, humiliate or publicly expose a child,” the agency said.

The agency stressed that children should be raised in environments where they feel secure and supported, particularly when dealing with situations beyond their control.

“Children deserve to grow up in environments where they feel safe, loved and supported, especially when they are experiencing something they may not even be able to control,” it said.

The DSVA linked the issue to the need for greater awareness of child wellbeing and positive parenting, urging adults responsible for raising children to protect their emotional and psychological wellbeing.

“This is why we keep talking about child wellbeing and positive parenting,” the agency said.

“The adults responsible for raising children have a duty to protect their emotional and psychological wellbeing, not become the source of their pain,” it added.

The video has generated reactions online, with some viewers describing the scene as humorous family banter, while others criticised the adults for publicly embarrassing the child over an issue he might not be able to control.