The International Labour Organisation (ILO) Country Director for Nigeria, Ghana, Sierra Leone, and ECOWAS Vanessa, Phala stressed that child labour is a serious problem in Africa, most prevalent in Ethiopia, Niger, and Mali. Beyond robbing children of the joys of childhood, child labour extends to seriously endangering the lives and futures of children. Despite legislative frameworks designed to protect children’s rights, child labour is still a major problem in Nigeria, affecting a large number of youngsters. Within the country, millions of children work as minors, frequently in dangerous jobs like domestic service, mining, agriculture, and street vending.
A clear insight of the nation’s widespread problem of child labour was provided in the Nigeria Child Labour Survey 2022, which was undertaken by the Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment, the ILO, and the National Bureau of Statistics, with assistance from the Government of Netherlands and the United States Department of Labour (USDOL). The survey underscores the detrimental effects of such practice on health and education. It shows that such practices seriously hinder children’s ability to attend school, with school attendance rates considerably lower among children who work than among those who do not.
Just 60.7% of children employed in agriculture go to school.
In particular, 81.4% of 6–14-year-olds who are not engaged in child labour go to school, compared to 75.1% of those who are working. Both urban and rural locations show this discrepancy, although with generally lower attendance rates for children in remote areas. School attendance is also influenced by the kind of work, with children who are employed having the lowest attendance rates. For example, just 60.7% of children employed in Agriculture go to school. Furthermore, children’s attendance at school is directly impacted by the amount of hours they work; lower attendance rates are correlated with longer work hours.
It also shed light on why kids do not now attend school or have never gone. Lack of access to affordable, high-quality education, with notable regional and gender disparities, is one of the common causes. The lack of educational facilities in rural areas makes things more difficult, whereas the high expense of Education in metropolitan areas is a big obstacle. Regarding well-being the survey notes that working with children exposes them to a variety of dangers and hazards. More than half of the children in labour have experienced at least one occupational hazard. They frequently sustain injuries, including major cuts and bruises.
Enforcement of regulations in Nigeria is still lax.
According to the poll, 39.2% of Nigerian children between the ages of 5 and 17 work as minors, with this percentage being greater in rural areas and in households with lower incomes. This practices is more common in the North-East and South-East regions. 18 percent of girls aged between the ages of six and fourteen who are not involved in child labour go to school, compared to 71 percent of those who are. The difference is marginally greater for male children: 81.2 percent of boys who are not involved in child work go to school, compared to 74.3 percent of those who are working. The planning of successful measures to end child labour in Nigeria depends on these data.
Factors such as poverty, lack of educational opportunities, and sociocultural variables are the root causes of child labour in Nigeria. The country has regulations against child labour, such as the Labour Act and the Child Rights Act of 2003. But due to other issues and limited resources, enforcement is still lax. Through advocacy, awareness campaigns, and assistance programs, organisations like as UNICEF, the International Labour Organisation, and other local non-governmental organisations (NGOs) are actively striving to end child labour.
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Several initiatives, collaborations, regulations, and projects implemented over the years demonstrate the Nigerian government’s commitment to aiding in the global battle against the problem and its worst manifestations. Five more Nigerian governors signed the Child Rights Act in 2022, which forbids the use of minors in illegal activity or by armed non-state actors. It also guarantees free and obligatory education for children. To improve the understanding of their child labour regulations, a national survey on child labour was carried out and a new action plan on human trafficking was approved. Alongside Nigeria, other African nations that have joined the campaign to end the issue include Ghana, Ethiopia, and the Ivory Coast, among others.