Why Maternal Mental Health Must Be Seen as Part of Child Protection: Reflections from the Haven Advocacy Summit
On Thursday, July 31, 2025, we had the honor of participating in the maiden edition of the Haven Advocacy Maternal Mental Health Summit, themed “Breaking the Silence: Maternal Mental Health as a Public Health Priority”, held at Mövenpick Hotel, Ikoyi, Lagos.
As an organization committed to the safeguarding and protection of children, we did not attend as passive participants. We attended as custodians of a truth that is often overlooked: maternal mental health is not just a women’s issue, it is part of child protection.
Why? Because a child’s first and most immediate environment is the mother. Her physical and emotional wellbeing profoundly shapes the child’s safety, attachment, and development from the womb through early years. Yet, maternal mental health is often treated in isolation from the child’s experience. At this summit, we were reminded that the two cannot be separated.
The Keynote That Unveiled the Cost of Silence
The morning opened with a powerful keynote from Dr. Gbonjubola Babalola, who spoke with both conviction and compassion. Her words were not statistics alone. Though the numbers were sobering, they were a mirror to our neglect.
As child protection advocates, we could not miss the deeper implication: every unsupported mother is a child unsafeguarded. Maternal mental health is not merely a women’s issue, it is a generational issue. The ripple effect of depression, anxiety, and trauma in mothers touches children first, often silently but profoundly.
Two Panels Provided Critical Lenses on the Issue:
- Panel I: Healthcare and Workplace Solutions opened up the conversation on how medical and professional spaces can protect mothers and by extension, children through early detection, inclusive parental leave, and flexible work arrangements. What we saw was the direct link between supportive systems and stable childhoods.
- Panel II: Driving Systemic Change, moderated by our Programs Coordinator, Safiya Hamza Jibrin, went even deeper. Here, the conversation turned to legislation, funding, and policy. The message was clear: without national frameworks, the protection of both mothers and children remains accidental, not intentional.
Our Principal, Mr. Taiwo Akinlami, delivered a goodwill message that reminded all present that the first environment of the child is the heart and mind of the caregiver. To protect the child, we must protect that environment.
A Summit That Confronted Silence
The Haven Advocacy Summit did not merely exchange ideas; it confronted silence. In too many communities, maternal mental health remains taboo, dismissed as weakness, or left unaddressed due to cultural stigma and weak health systems.
Speakers and participants alike underscored how this silence directly harms children. A mother unsupported in her mental health journey is more vulnerable to burnout, frustration, and neglect not because she does not love her child, but because she has been left without the tools and systems to cope.
The summit challenged us to see clearly: when we fail mothers, we fail our precious children.
What Struck Us Most
Several insights from the summit have stayed with us:
- The Silence Around Maternal Struggles: Many mothers face depression, anxiety, or burnout, but stigma keeps them from seeking help. This silence does not only isolate them, it leaves children more vulnerable.
- The Overlap Between Neglect and Maternal Ill-Health: We were challenged to see how a mother’s untreated mental health challenges can translate into forms of neglect, not from lack of love, but from exhaustion and incapacity.
- The Urgency of Early Intervention: We heard stories of how early support for mothers changed the trajectory of a child’s development and protection. This affirmed our long-held belief that prevention, not reaction, must anchor safeguarding.
Our Reflections Going Forward
Leaving the summit, three reflections shape our ongoing commitment. Each one carries both a challenge and a responsibility:
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Maternal Mental Health Must Be Framed as Child Protection
Too often, maternal mental health is treated as a “women’s issue” or a niche concern within healthcare. Yet, we were reminded that when a mother’s mental health is compromised, her ability to nurture, protect, and respond to her child’s needs is also affected. This overlap makes maternal wellbeing a frontline child safeguarding concern. Policymakers, social workers, schools, and other child-focused institutions must therefore adopt a language and practice that explicitly links maternal mental health with child protection. -
Safeguarding Mothers is a Community Mandate
One of the strongest messages we took away from the summit is that no mother should be left to struggle alone. Mental health challenges thrive in isolation, but healing thrives in community. Equipping community stakeholders with this mindset transforms maternal struggles from a hidden battle into a shared responsibility of care. -
Breaking the Silence is a Safeguarding Strategy
Stigma and silence remain the greatest barriers to mothers seeking help. If we do not speak up, mothers are left unseen and unsupported. Breaking this silence requires advocacy, storytelling, and normalizing conversations around maternal mental health.
Conclusion
The Haven Advocacy Summit did more than educate us; it unsettled us in the best way. It reminded us that wellbeing of the mother is essential and must be treated as a priority. The path ahead requires more than sympathy, it requires systems, policies, and communities that recognize maternal mental health as a cornerstone of child protection.
