Children not labourers: A study on child labour in Nigeria
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Child labour has become devilishly common, which is bad for the development of children in Nigeria. Over time, the problem of child labour has become a major obstacle to the economic and social development of most developing countries. Child labour is different from child work, which is work whose main purpose is to teach, train, or socialize the child. Child labour is work that is mostly harmful to the child’s physical, social, cognitive, and moral development (UNICEF 2001). It happens when children are forced to work long hours in a dangerous or unhealthy place instead of going to school. According to reports, its frequency and terrifying impact are widespread in developing nations. In 2000, about 211 million children between the ages of five and fourteen participated in child labour globally (ILO, 2013). This narrative has a negative impact on the children’s health, physical, mental, and emotional well-being. Child laborers are increasingly exposed to a variety of infectious diseases and the risk of sustaining severe wounds that can rapidly become infected. According to empirical research, parental socioeconomic profiles are a major determinant of a child’s employment status. As more and more children are taken from poor rural families by intermediaries motivated only by profit and sent to work in wealthy urban houses, the ties that once bound parents and children have frayed (UNICEF 2001). When a youngster has limited opportunities to get an education, they also have a greater probability of being exposed to child labour. The Federal Labour Act mandates that all 36 states in Nigeria enforce a minimum age of 12 for any kind of paid work with minors. The worst forms of labour, including as forced labour and the employment of children in prostitution or armed combat, are prohibited by the Act, but children of any age are allowed to conduct light work in domestic service or work with family member in agriculture. It has been noted, however, that some of these laws and practices have deteriorated and are not being imposed or enforced, creating a fertile field for many youngsters to forego school entirely (ILO, 2013; Awosusi & Adebo,2012; Edet & Etim, 2013).
When children are forced to perform tasks that endanger their health, safety, or social development, we term this practice “child labour.” It’s harmful to children’s mental and physical growth and robs them of their childhood and dignity (Ola-Alani & Abidogun, 2020). Children are compelled to work for little or no pay, with little concern for their health and safety (Orakwe, 2019). This urge originates from the fact that the majority of these children are homeless and must labour to survive, while others are orphans who live with relatives who force them to work in their stores and farms. Hawking, washing cars, hairdressing, shop assistant, carrying heavy things at the market, and other similar jobs are common.
According to Ede and Kalu (2018), youngsters in Eastern and Western Nigeria hawk things after school hours, while others sell all day. They also state that the money earned by these children is frequently distributed to their guardians. The funds will be used to pay the child’s school tuition, as well as to purchase clothing and food. It is regrettable that youngsters hawk in front of police stations, ministries, mosques, and even courthouses, even though these are the very institutions that are intended to help these children (Ede & Kalu, 2018). Child laborers are easily taken advantage of by their employers, who often seem to be the child’s only hope for survival. When these kids grow up, they could be used as tools by terrorist groups (Agu, 2015). They are willing to do anything to make money and help other people, so it is easy to brainwash and recruit them.
Accordingly, a study by Ola-Alani and Abidogun (2020) on the impacts of child labor on children’s academic performance discovered that female students are more likely than their male counterparts to be affected by child labor activities. The study’s findings indicate that children who work as children have different academic achievements depending on whether they are male or female. The girl kid spends more time working and is still required to complete household tasks, which stresses her out and has a detrimental impact on her attendance in school. Togunde and Arlelle (2008) concur that children who work as children are not timely and frequently arrive at school weary, which has an impact on their academic performance.
According to Ede and Kalu (2018) and Foua and Wilson (2020), child labour and child trafficking are related. Child trafficking, according to Ede and Kalu (2018), is the harbouring, enlisting, transporting, and use of minors for financial gain. When these kidnapped children are forced to work as cleaners, miners, farmers, or sex workers for their kidnappers, the link between child trafficking and child labour is evident. Sometimes, drugs like cocaine and marijuana are moved with the help of these children. In the same way, sometimes the trafficker will ask for work as payment or ransom. This means that the child will be set free after working long enough to pay a set amount of money. Children who work have bad health, which could be caused by their work or made worse by it. Malnutrition and slow growth were said to be very common among children who worked. On top of being malnourished, the way children work can also hurt their health. Most of the studies took into account how long people work each day. Long hours at work have been linked to worse health outcomes.
Recommendation
The study recommends the following to address the issue of Child labour in Nigeria. The Nigerian Government should partner with NGOs to provide rehabilitation services for child labourers. Similarly, the idea of using children as domestic servants should be discouraged through sensitization programs. In the same vein, the Government through law enforcement agencies should prosecute those who traffic and use children as labourers. It is also important that the law clearly state the legal working age for the populace. This would further make it difficult for children to be employed. Also, every citizen must be vigilant and report all cases of child labour to the appropriate authority.
References
Agu, O. (2015). Child Labour and economic development in Nigeria: A case study of Ekiti State, Nigeria. International Journal of Economic Perspectives, 9(4), 27-36.
Awosusi, O and Adebo, G.M. (2012). Domestic Servants and Rural-Youth Urban Migration in Nigeria. International Journal of Humanities and Social Science, 2(5), 271-278
Ede, V., & Kalu, D. (2018). Child abuse in Nigeria: Responses of Christian churches and the way out. International Journal of Innovative Research in Multidisciplinary Field, 4(4), 46-53.
Edet, G.E, Etim N-A.A. (2013). Child labour in agriculture among poor rural households: some issues and facts. European Journal of Physical and Agricultural Sciences, 1(1):1-7
Foua, A., & Wilson, D. (2020). Cultural and legal perspectives on child protection in the context of child trafficking in Nigeria. Beijing Law Review, 11, 11-33.
International Labour Organization, (2013). World Report on Child Labour Economic vulnerability, social protection and the fight against child labour. Geneva.
Ola-Alani, E., & Abidogun, B. (2020). The impact of child labour on academic achievement of primary school pupils in Ilorin East, Kwara State, Nigeria. UNESWA Journal of Education, 3(1), 130-143.
Orakwe, E. (2019). Cultural determination of child abuse in urban Nigeria: A Sociological perspective. International Journal of Arts and Science, 2(6), 20-29.
Togunde, D., & Arlelle, C. (2008). In their own words: Consequences of child labour in Urban Nigeria. Journal of Social Sciences, 16(2), 173-181.
UNICEF (2001) Children’s and Women’s Rights in Nigeria: A Wake-up call. Abuja: National Planning Commission. Abuja and UNICEF Nigeria.
