The International Labour Organisation (ILO) has disclosed that an estimated 15 million children under the age of 14 are working to earn a living in Nigeria, with majority of them engaged in quarrying of granite and gravel, domestic servitude and hawking.
Penpushing reports that Chairman, Ogun State Steering committee on Child Labour (SSCCL), Mr Eshomounu Itemoagbo disclosed this at a press conference held at Iwe-Iroyin Press Centre, Abeokuta to mark the year 2022 World Day Against Child Labour
The Chairman, however called on the Ogun state government to improve and enforce social protection policies that will address child forced labour in the state, lamenting that children are still found working in quarries, restaurants and as domestic workers.
“In Ogun State, children are still found working in quarries, restaurants and as domestic servanthood. Being a border state, there are children from neighboring West African countries found in various child labour situations within the state’, he said.
“The heightened risk of child labour underscore the urgent need for targeted and coordinated action at National, State and local levels to create awareness of the existing legal framework and ensure their effective implementation through the enforcement of the laws”, Itemoagbo added
Penpushing further reports that, he emphasized on need for concerted efforts to be put in place by all tiers of governments and private sector at ensuring that issues related to child labour are well addressed.
The Committee Chairman commended the efforts of the Nigerian government at all levels for embarking on social protection programmes like N-Power and Home Grown School Feeding Programs among others, and also appealed to Governments to prioritize child protection and reduced school dropouts.
Penpushing also reports that, other speakers at the event include Mrs Ikepo Adebayo, representatives of Child Protection Network (CPN), Mr Adebayo Fashina from Ministry of Women Affairs, and Mrs Tolu Kowo from Ministry of Information, with all of them calling on cautious not to tamper with rights of the children, and equally appealed to stakeholders and Individual to rise up to the challenges and defend child rights at all time.
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