The Lagos State Domestic and Sexual Violence Agency has criticised a viral social media video showing a child being publicly teased and humiliated over bedwetting.
The agency described the incident as verbal and emotional abuse, warning that bedwetting should never be used as a basis for mocking, shaming or embarrassing a child.
The DSVA made its position known on Saturday through a post on its official X account while reacting to the widely circulated footage.
The 49-second TikTok video featured several women introducing themselves as relatives of a person identified as a bedwetter. They later gathered around a young boy dressed in traditional attire and appeared to tease him.
The child looked visibly uncomfortable as the women hugged, held and lifted him while laughing. One of the women was also seen displaying cash during the incident.
The audio accompanying the video repeatedly featured the women saying, “Emi ko ni atole o,” which translates to “I’m not the bedwetter,” before identifying themselves as the person’s mother, sisters, cousins and other relatives.
Near the end of the clip, one person declared, “Emi ni atole” — meaning “I am the bedwetter” — after which the group chanted, “A pata mole, atole!” translated as “We have caught him, bedwetter.”
Reacting to the footage, the DSVA condemned the treatment of the child and said such behaviour could negatively affect his emotional wellbeing.
“What we are seeing here is verbal and emotional abuse of a child,” the agency said.
It stressed that bedwetting was not sufficient justification for publicly exposing or ridiculing a child.
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“Bedwetting is not a reason to shame, ridicule, humiliate or publicly expose a child,” the agency said.
The agency further emphasised the importance of providing children with supportive and secure environments, particularly when they experience situations that may be outside 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 connected the incident to the broader need for awareness around child welfare and responsible parenting, urging adults to prioritise the psychological and emotional wellbeing of children under their care.
“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 since attracted mixed reactions online. While some viewers considered the incident harmless family humour, others condemned the adults involved, arguing that the child should not have been publicly embarrassed over bedwetting.