The Permanent Secretary Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment, Ms Kachollom Daju, says the Nigerian Government is out to eradicate all forms of activities that deprive children of school age of engaging in child labour as she led an awareness creation of Road Walk across the city of Abuja on Monday to mark the activities of the 2023 World Day Against Child Labour.
The International Labour Organisation ILO in one of its reports said that over one hundred and sixty million children globally are actively engaged in child labour, of this number, forty-three percent of Nigerian children between the ages of five and eleven, are said to be “actively involved in economic activities, including worst forms of child labour”.
According to the 2016 – 2017 MICS Survey, 39 % of children involved in child labour are working under hazardous conditions including quarrying granite, artisanal mining, commercial sexual exploitation, armed conflict, and sometimes are victims of human trafficking.
These figures, Ms Daju stressed, reflect the degree of urgency required by the various actors working on child labour to proffer solutions to the reduction and possible elimination of child labour in Nigeria and globally.
Leading the ILO Country Office in Nigeria, the Children’s Parliament and other stakeholders on a Road Walk to the Federal Ministry of Justice and the Headquarters of the National Human Rights Commission, the Permanent Secretary said that walk is to further call international action to the menace in the world.
The theme of this year’s event is “Social Justice for All. End Child Labour”, according to the Permanent Secretary calls for “reinvigorated international action to achieve social justice, with the elimination Child Labour as one of its key elements, Universal ratification of ILO Convention No 138 on Minimum Age and ILO Convention 182 on Worst Forms of Child Labour and effective implementation of the Durban Call to Action.
“The Federal Government recognizes the importance of addressing the issue of child labour and reiterates its commitment to eradicating the menace.
“Child Labour is a grave concern that affects millions of children worldwide, denying them of their fundamental rights to education, health, mental and moral development and a childhood free from all forms of exploitation”, she said.
She also said that the day serves as a reminder that the fight against child labour requires sustained efforts and collective action by the whole society.
According to her, the commitment of the Federal Government of Nigeria in contributing to the global fight against child labour and its worst forms is evidenced in the adoption and ratification of ILO Conventions No.138 and No.182, the enactment of the Child Rights Act to domesticate the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child adding that the 36 States of the Federation and the Federal Capital Territory have domesticated the Child Rights Act, review of the National Policy on Child Labour and the National Action Plan on the Elimination of Child Labour as well as the development of the List of Hazardous Child Labour among others.
She also identified some of the challenges in the elimination of Child Labour in Nigeria including Poverty, Cultural/Religious factors, Poor educational system, inadequate Social Protection systems and wrong perception/ ignorance of the negative effects of Child Labour.
“The Ministry commits to continue active collaboration with relevant stakeholders to develop and implement collective strategies that contribute to the eradication of child labour.
“Engage in advocacy interventions to encourage government (Federal and state) and policymakers to enact and enforce legislation that protects children from exploitation and ensures access to quality education.
“Provide support to grassroots organisations and implement initiatives dedicated to combating child labour, rehabilitation and empowerment of child labour victims and vulnerable households”, she said.
In a goodwill message, the Country Director of the ILO. Ms Vanessa Phala said that the ILO is not only supporting Nigeria in the elimination of child labour, but “engaging the parents, engaging the communities, engaging the teachers to make sure that we create a conducive environment for young persons to go to school, to stay in school and to make meaningful contributions to the economy of Nigeria.
“I am also happy that we partnered with the National Bureau of Statistics in order to produce child labour statistics and I am looking forward to the launch of the report that will use factual data in terms of the stretch of child labour in the different States in Nigeria; the kind of sectors where these children are engaged in and most importantly, the kind of hazardous work that children are exposed to”, Phala said.
Tracing the history of the setting out the World Day Against Child Labour, The National Human Right Commission, said that in the year 2002 when it was established by the International Labour Organization to address the plight of millions of children subjected to the hardships of labour particularly in impoverished and developing nations where children were robbed of their childhood and innocence.
To raise awareness on the issue, the International Labour Organization designated June 12 every year as a day for its commemoration in order to support the expanding anti-child labour movement.
“As we gather here today, it is vital to remember that this day is not merely a symbolic event: it serves as a powerful catalyst for change, to amplify the voices of those children unheard and marginalized and urge us to address the root causes of child labour with renewed vigor.
“We all have a role to play to ensure that the menace of child labour is brought to a minimal level and eventually brought to an end”.
Speaking in an interview, the President of the Children’s Parliament in Nigeria, Miss Rohama Waziri Ijonada, called on the government to enact relevant legislations that will effectively address the plights of children in the country.
Dominica Nwabufo
