Stakeholders seek collaboration to check rising cases of child labour in S’East

Stakeholders in the gender, justice and security sectors have called for synergy and collaboration among relevant agencies to check rising cases of child labour in the southeast region.

They stated that the zone was one of the regions in Nigeria with the highest prevalence of child labour. Attributing the development to poverty, ignorance, among other practices in the society, the stakeholders agreed that no meaningful development could be achieved where children, especially between the ages of five and 17 years, are used for all manner of labour and deprived of certain essentials that could lead to their growth and development.

They stated this at a one-day meeting organised by the South Saharan Development Organisation (SSDO) in collaboration with the Enugu State Ministry of Children, Gender Affairs and Social Development.

The stakeholders stated that results from Nigeria’s child labour and forced labour survey 2022 conducted by the International Labour Organisation (ILO) released recently should not be allowed to fester.

Speaking at the meeting, tagged ‘Exploitative Child Domestic Work (CDW)’, Executive Director, SSDO, Dr. Stanley Ilechukwu, stated that though child domestic work had been viewed as a means of providing indigent children with opportunities for formal or vocational education in exchange for their labour, the reality was often starkly different.

“Many of these children, predominantly young girls, suffer physical and sexual abuse, as well as denied educational opportunities. These violations remain largely unreported due to power imbalances and fear of reprisal,” he said.

He told gender advocates, commissioners as well as Commissioners of Police in Enugu, Anambra and Ebonyi states that with the highest prevalence rate of 49.9 per cent of child labour according to the ILO report, there was a need for actionable solutions and development of a structured framework for interstate collaboration on exploitative child domestic work and broader child protection.

In his contribution, Enugu State Commissioner for Child, Gender Affair and Social Development, Mrs. Ngozi Enih, said the state government was committed to fostering a safe environment for every child.

She said that the state had made significant strides towards eliminating exploitative CDW through legislative reforms, public awareness campaigns and collaborative efforts with organisations such as civil society organisations and non-governmental organisations.

“By working together, sharing resources and harmonising our policies, we can create a safer and more supportive environment for all our children. Furthermore, the need for interstate collaboration cannot be overstated,” she said.

Also speaking, Commissioner for Women and Children Affair, Anambra State, Mrs. Ifeyinwa Obinabo, cautioned parents to stop giving their children out as house helps without ascertaining the mental or emotional balance of the caregiver notwithstanding the financial benefit that could accrue from it.

Obinabo said that the wife of Anambra State Governor, Nonye Soludo, has put child protection in the front burner in the state and stands out for any case of child injustice, dehumanisation and sexual exploitation by anyone in the state.

Also, the Commissioner for Women and Children Affairs, Ebonyi State, Mrs. Felicia Nwankpuma, said that the state government had done a community-to-community sensitisation against sending children to serve as domestic help.

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