The Gap

Child labour in Nigeria: Causes and how to tackle it

Child labour in Nigeria: Causes and how to tackle it

Child labour is frowned on globally. Unfortunately, all that frowning hasn’t stopped the trend, especially in Africa. Poverty is one of the basic causes of child labour which has forced many children out of school into the streets to hustle for their daily bread. Most children forced into child labour are often victims of societal ills. Robbery, child abuse, and sexual abuse, including rape and drugs, affect the victims’ total well-being.

For many parents in Nigeria, sending their underaged children to “hustle” instead of going to school and doing other appropriate children stuff is normal. In other words, they force their children to work out of ignorance. That’s why it’s important to understand what the trend means and how it affects children’s growth and development.

What is child labour?

According to the International Labour Organisation (ILO), child labour is defined as work that deprives children of their childhood, their potential, and their dignity and that is harmful to physical and mental development. By this definition, it should be understood that not all work done by children is considered child labour. Assisting in a family business or earning pocket money outside school hours and during school holidays are activities that contribute to children’s development and the welfare of their families.

However, work is considered child labour when it is mentally, physically, socially, or morally dangerous and harmful to a child and when it deprives the child of formal education.

Child labour in Nigeria

Child labour in Nigeria

Child labour is considered “normal” in Nigeria. When you go into the streets every day, you will definitely see a child hawking one thing or the other when that child is supposed to be in school. Many people grew up in an environment where they’re expected to “hustle” to put food on the table from childhood. Such people grow up and subject their children to the same treatment based on their circumstances.

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According to the Bureau of International Labor Affairs, children in Nigeria are subjected to the worst forms of child labor, including quarrying granite, artisanal mining, commercial sexual exploitation, and use in armed conflict, each sometimes as a result of human trafficking. ILO also revealed that at least 43% of Nigerian children are trapped in various forced labor despite international conventions banning it. This is the highest rate recorded in West Africa.

The Child Rights Act was put into effect in 2003. However, only 25 out of Nigeria’s 36 states have adopted the Act, leaving the remaining 11 states in northern Nigeria with legal statutes that do not meet international standards for prohibiting child trafficking, commercial sexual exploitation, and illicit activities. Also, the Act doesn’t cover children who are self-employed or working in informal businesses.

Although the federal government has made moderate efforts to eliminate the worst forms of child labor through the introduction of the National Action Plan for Preventing and Countering Violent Extremism, child labour is still a problem in the country. With the continuously rising rates of poverty, the idea that child labour will be eliminated any time soon seems farfetched.

Causes of child labour in Nigeria

Children digging gutters

Poverty

Poverty is one of the main causes of child labour in Nigeria. In 2018, Nigeria overtook India as the country with the largest number of people living in extreme poverty, with an estimated 87 million living on less than $1.90 a day. The findings was based on World Poverty Clock and compiled by Brookings Institute. The rates are still rising as more families live below the poverty line due to the bad economy and insecurity. Hence, many children from impoverished homes are forced to drop out of school and go into the streets to hawk goods and do all manner of menial jobs to contribute to their upkeep.

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Lack of family planning

An estimated 200 million people live in Nigeria, most of whom live under the poverty line. Yet, it hasn’t stopped people, especially in the North, from giving birth to children they cannot care for. When such children grow to a certain age, they’re forced into labour to care for themselves since their parents are incapable of doing so. Also, many Nigerians are unaware of family planning and its methods. For those who know, there is still some general belief that family planning is taboo.

Tradition and wrong mentality

Nigerians believe that children are gifts from God. Many families believe that children are “helpers” sent by God to help them in their circumstances. Little wonder these families give birth to as many children as possible to use them as “helpers” to solve their problems. These families don’t care about their children’s needs except to ensure that they grow up and pay them back by providing for them, especially in their old age. You’ll hear something like, “you don’t know which of them will be the next president of Nigeria.”

Broken homes

Many children from broken homes are left alone to fend for themselves unsupervised. Many couples who divorce are often distracted by the effects of the break-ups, which include anger, fighting over property, and many other reasons. Hence, their children are often overlooked. These children will then be forced to find other means to fend for themselves.

Polygamy

Polygamy is considered normal in Nigeria. Most polygamous families are found in rural areas where there are high poverty rates. Polygamous families are often large, as the more wives a man marries, the more children are born in the household. In households where the man only knows how to marry multiple wives but cannot take care of them, their children are hotbeds of child labor. Children from these polygamous homes are forced to do all manner of jobs to help their mothers take care of the family.

How to tackle child labour in Nigeria

Vice President Osinbanjo with school children waving mini Nigerian flags

  • Education should be free and fair from primary to secondary school level in Nigeria. Every Nigerian child deserves to go to school. Poverty should not be an excuse, so education from primary to secondary school should be free.
  • Government should create a conducive environment for businesses to thrive and reduce the unemployment rate in the country. Small businesses should be able to have access to funds and grants for investments. This way, the rate of poverty in the country will reduce, and there will be less child labourers.
  • The Child Right Act should be reviewed and compulsorily implemented in all 36 states of the federation.
  • Companies and institutions that employ child labourers should be severely punished.
  • There should be awareness campaigns about the dangers of child labour in Nigeria. The government should collaborate with NGOs to reach as many people as possible and educate them about child labour and how it affects a child’s development.

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Child labour act in Nigeria

stop child labour campaign art
Photo credit: Depositphotos

The Child Rights Act was enacted in 2003. The Act put the general minimum age for admission to employment at 15 years. However, the minimum age for hazardous work is 18 years. Article. 28(1)(c) says:

“Subject to this Act, no child shall be … (c) required, in any case, to lift, carry or move anything so heavy as to be likely to adversely affect his … mental, spiritual, moral or social development; or …”

Section 59(2) of the Labour Act of 1990 says, “a person under 15 years of age shall not be employed or work in
industrial undertakings.” According to section 59(1) of the Labour Act, read in conjunction with section 91 of the same Act, “no child under 12 shall be employed or work in any capacity except where he/she is employed by a member of his/her family to perform light work of an agricultural, horticultural or domestic character”.

Sections 28(1)(b) and 277 of the Child Rights Act of 2003 say a child under 18 years shall not be “employed to work in any capacity except where he/she is employed by a member of his/her family to perform light work of an agricultural, horticultural or domestic character.”

However, the Act does not stipulate laws that cover self-employed children.

Child labour in Nigeria statistics

poor children in Nigeria

According to ILO, at least 43% of Nigerian children are trapped in various forced labor despite international conventions banning it. The 2006 Information Sheet on Child Labour in Nigeria by UNICEF revealed that an estimated 15 million children under the age of 14 years work in Nigeria, mostly in the semi-formal and informal economy, with hundreds of thousands of young domestic workers working for prosperous urban families.

According to the CIA World Factbook, 70% of the nation’s population live below the poverty line, which has contributed to child labor. Also, the Bureau of International Labor Affairs reports only 76% of children in total go to school, and about 27% of child laborers attend school in addition to work.

An estimated 58% of vulnerable children, particularly orphans, are at risk of child trafficking and forced labour. About 30% of child workers do not receive compensation and must work against their will.

Conclusion

Children are the most exploited workers in the labour market. Most of them are subjected to unimaginable treatments in the course of their “hustle.” Some grow up to be bitter adults and inflict the same treatment on other children, and the cycle continues. Everyone should know that child labour is bad no matter the reason for it. Children are indeed gifts from God, to be nurtured and given the best care. It’s not their duty to cater to their families; rather, it’s the duty of their families to cater to their growth, development, and their total wellbeing.

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Nonye is a Thespian, screenwriter, creative writer and an unapologetic lover of books, great movies and sports. She has over 10 years experience in content writing on entertainment, movies, sports and lifestyle. Nonye is currently a content writer at Blackdot Media and founder of litafrik.com
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