IndexTheoretical Framework: Individualization TheorySocial Disorganization TheorySettings and MethodsChild neglect is a form of child maltreatment that has remained problematic in social science research. It makes up 75% of child abuse cases with a huge tendency to recur (CBS News September 13, 2013). Refers to an act or failure to act by a parent or caregiver resulting in death, serious physical or emotional harm, sexual abuse, or exploitation of a child , or an act or omission to act that makes a child susceptible to serious harm (CAPTA, 2003). The quest to restore the child's personality has led to the emergence of policies, acts, laws and academic research in all nations of the world. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essayOne of the challenges of social science academic discourse in contemporary Africa today is to explain the coexistence syndrome. In an almost radical departure from marriage, the present is characterized by widespread cohabitation which is a fairly recent phenomenon Karney, Beckett, Collins & Shaw, (2007) cited in Ogunsola (2011). Cohabitation refers to two independent people, almost like roommates, living together and having sex, instead of a commitment to each other for the rest of their lives (Rena, 2006). It is the union of unmarried partners; both same-sex and heterosexual people, in a long-term or permanent sexually intimate relationship that is against the norms and values ​​of Nigerian cultural groups. The trend of cohabitation saw a drastic change towards the last decades of the twentieth century when marriages began to be preceded by it (Ogunsola, 2011). According to Campbell (2008) cited in Ogunsola, (2011), marriages often began to be replaced by cohabitation which often ends in divorce in a third of cases, and where three quarters of breakups are always wanted by the woman. In recent times, young people seem to be starting to consider premarital cohabitation as a substitute for marriage. It has become a serious social problem in the last 25 years. Its surge extends to both sides of the Atlantic Ocean and also to much of the Western industrialized world. Religious groups appear perplexed, if not paralyzed, in their response to the syndrome. Many of them identify cohabitation as the most difficult issue to address in marriage preparation programs and premarital counseling (National Conference of Catholic Bishops, 2000). Cohabitation syndrome is one of the most recent social problems in Nigeria that has attracted the attention of scholars (Esere, Idowu, Durosaro & Omotosho, 2009; Tiziana, & Chiara, 2010; Animasahu & Fatile 2011; Ogunsola 2011; Omega 2013; However, it has not been sufficiently x-rayed. Although this problem is a worldwide phenomenon (Bumpass & Lu 1998; Popenoe & Whitehead 1999), its current upsurge in Nigeria and the negative consequences it has on the products of that union make it a serious social problem. which requires attention. The worrying nature of this social problem is exemplified by the wide range of media reports of cases of cohabitation and its consequences on parental responsibility recorded in different parts of the country (Evelyn & whiteheads 1981; Thatcher, 2002). significant, however, is that cohabitation has significantly weakened the internal coherence of marriage and family life, and the resulting inhumane crisis exacerbates the conditions of child abandonment (De Vaus, Qu & Brow, 2003; Mattox, 1998). , no national statistics are availableon recorded cases of cohabiting partners in Nigeria, occasional state reports from different parts of the country indicate the alarming rate at which this deviant act is being perpetrated. For example, the registry of the welfare unit of the Rivers State Ministry of Women Affairs, Community Development and Social Welfare in Port-Harcourt indicates that the types of parent-child relationships, the type of home and the influence of peer group were effective in explaining the practices of street children in the Nigerian context. Similarly, in a related development, the Special Adviser to Lagos State Government on Youth and Social Development recently disclosed that Lagos State in 2011 recorded 497 cases of abandoned children abandoned on different streets in the state (Okoje , 2012). In Ojedokun&Atoi (2012:P1). This is supposed to be mostly a byproduct of the numerous cohabiting partners in the state, since there is almost no married partner of good will who would want to abandon their child. The current increase in the incidence of cohabitation in Nigeria is a clear departure from traditional Nigerian and African sociocultural values ​​which place great importance on family formation, pregnancy and child rearing, where childbirth is normatively expected in every legal union of partners of opposite sexes, and where marriage is considered an ardently desired treasure. Nigerians believe that it is very important for a legally married man and woman to be together and have children because they represent a symbol of wealth and ensure the continuity of the family's lineage (Zeitlin, 1996). Oyewumi 2003, as cited in Frimpong-Nnuroh, 2004) argues that legal motherhood holds a special place in African cultures and societies, because it serves as an essential element of social relationships, identities and society as a whole. The legal union of partners and the birth of a child were, and still are, not only a family event but a celebration of the entire community (Maposa&Rusinga, 2012). Cohabitation becomes problematic because it is unethical and seriously violates the dignity and sacredness of the family. education and lives of the most vulnerable members of society who are the product of this deviant act. This act contravenes the Nigerian Marriage Act, Cap 218, a law of the federation which establishes certain preliminary requirements that must be met before persons of the opposite sex can be unionised. Persons wishing to marry under the Act must therefore comply with the legal requirements set out in the Act; failure to do so will invalidate the marriage." This also contradicts the biblical intentions of marriage, including “to provide a godly companionship between husband, wife, and children, based on trust, intimacy, and faithfulness” (Gen. 2:18, 24-25); and have sexual relations exclusively within the confines of marriage, thus protecting the emotions and character of one's spouse (Pro. 5:20-23; 6:27-35; Cor. 7:1-5) as in (Odunze, 1991 ). Despite the perennial occurrence of cohabitation incidents in Nigeria and the subsequent social harm it usually generates, this social problem, however, is yet to attract sufficient attention from scholars in Nigeria. This study was therefore designed to increase the state of knowledge on this issue and to draw attention to the need to examine the link between cohabitation of unmarried couples and child abandonment. Scholars have extensively , O. 2014; Okafor, 2010; ILO, 2012/2013), parental illiteracy, polygamy and acts ofexcessive procreation (Vandenberg, 2007; Ahamd, 2012; boyden J &myers, 1998; Okpukpara et al., 2006) death of parents, war and epidemics (Yudav&Sengupta, 2009; Serwadda-Luwaga, 2005), urban migration (BBC, 2013) , corruption (Murphy, 2005; Onyemachi, 2010; United Nations Development Programme, 2012) etc. However, more needs to be done, including drawing attention to the foundations of the togetherness that produces these vulnerable children. This study is aimed at revealing the link between family formation such as cohabitation and child abandonment in Nigeria; using the Kalabari people in Port Harcourt as a case study. Theoretical framework: individualization theory. Giddens, Becks and Beck Gernsheims individualization theory (Giddens 1992; Beck 1992; Beck and Beck Gernsheim 2002); In (Tiziana, Chiara, 2010p5 provided an adequate explanation of the link between cohabitation of unmarried partners and abandonment of children. These interactive perspectives try to explain cohabitation as a process through which the family bond and parental responsibility are weakened. According to this theory, the preference for cohabitation over marriage is the result of increasing individualization (e.g. Wu 2000; Oppenheimer 2003). cohabitation does not build parental obligations between couples. Each partner does not feel specific moral or social obligations towards the other partners which include children. If each partner maintains contact with their children separately, the overall frequency of contact will be reduced almost automatically more so that it is women who, in marriage, often maintain - or mediate - contact between husbands and children. If in a cohabitation women do not carry out this kinship work (or do it less), the children's parental relationships may be relatively reduced. The relevance of individualization theory to this study is obvious as it shows how cohabitation of unmarried partners weakens the family bond. The pain of this loosened bond often spills over to the vulnerable “children” members of such a union who may not only be denied parental care, but may also be neglected or even abandoned. Social disorganization theory Edwin Sutherland in 1947 proposed the failure of families and extended kin groups expand the realm of relationships no longer controlled by the community and undermine government controls. This leads to persistent and “systematic” crime and delinquency. He also believed that such disorganization causes and reinforces cultural traditions and cultural conflicts that support antisocial activity. Systematic quality of behavior was a reference to repetitive, patterned, or organized offending as opposed to random events. He described the law-abiding culture as dominant and more extensive than alternative criminogenic cultural visions and capable of overcoming systematic crime if organized for that purpose. The application of this to the study hinges on Edwin's (1947:11 ) disorganization perspective. This theory indeed captures the meaning of this study as it correlates cultural traditions and cultural conflicts that support antisocial activity. When a community fails to respect the dominant and extensive means of family formation, and instead opts for an alternative; the family, being founded on defective ground, is more likely to fail in its duty of parenting; resulting in the abandonment of their children. The hallmark of this theory, as I mentioned before, is to renew the dominant culture of family formation, which is marriage; and abolish the criminogenic culture.