Social Reforms, State Accountability Key To Ending Child Exploitation – FG

The position was stated by the Director, Inspectorate of the Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment and Chair of the National Steering Committee for the Elimination of Child Labour, Mrs. Olaolu Olaitan, at a stakeholders advocacy roundtable on child protection held in Lagos.

The roundtable, with the theme “Strengthening Coordinated Action to Eliminate Child Labour and Protect Children from Exploitative Domestic Work in Lagos”, was organised by Non-government organisation, Devatop Centre for Africa Development ,in collaboration with the Freedom Fund , and with support from the United States Government.

While presenting the third phase of the National Action Plan for the Elimination of Child Labour covering 2026 to 2030, Mrs. Olaitan explained that the Ministry is working in partnership with the National Orientation Agency and other stakeholders to drive public reorientation and behavioural change.

Mrs. Olaitan noted that any work that is harmful to a child, either emotionally or physically amounts to exploitation and must be addressed holistically.

“Child labor is any type of work that is detrimental to the health of a child, any kind of work that is physically, emotionally, morally dangerous and harmful to a child, and that deprives that child of schooling.

So that is what child labor is, and most of the child laborers we have are in agriculture.

Then we have high risk sectors, including mining, domestic servant service, informal urban work.” She stated

Mrs Olaitan further observed that domestic work carries the highest risk rate of exploitation among children and called for the expansion of social protection systems for vulnerable households as a sustainable way to reduce child labour.

The Lagos State Zonal Commander of the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons, Mrs. Comfort Agboko, also emphasised the responsibility of all citizens to sensitise their various communities and groups on the deceptive methods used to recruit children into exploitative domestic work and the associated dangers.

Mrs Agboko said “I will encourage us not to be the hearer alone.

We should not just listen for the fun of it and not do something. I want to encourage us in our various fields of endeavors, in our homes, in our churches, in the market.

Don’t say that I cannot start sensitizing people in the market on the antics and the dangers of of child labor, the customer you are buying provisions from, the customers you are buying foof items from, you can start from there. In your churches, in your neighborhood, you can start.

For instance, if a neighbor of yours has an underage, that is a child as a househelp is a criminal act.

It’s an offense.

There’s no ignorance under the law because if, for instance, you arrested by NAPTIP, nothing like Madame, I’m very sorry,”

In her address, the Project Lead of Devatop Centre for Africa Development, Ms. Janet Homo, said the engagement was aimed at triggering concrete action and ensuring the implementation of commitments by all stakeholders.

“Our journey has connected community realities with government systems and national labor priorities.

So we, from the work that we have done, we saw that it is because when we work with the government, it’s not just going to be policies.

Those policies has to be implemented, and that’s why we are working in the grassroot, in the communities, and seeing how we can bridge some of the gaps that we saw before we started the project.” She added.

The Chief Executive of the NGO in a welcome address presented by Ms Nora Nongu explained that the organisation was proud to have contributed to the process of the national policy and national action plan for the elimination of child labor 2026 to 2030.

The event also featured a panel discussion comprising the State Coordinator of the Child Protection Network, Mrs. Aderonke Oyelakin, the Project Lead of the CeCe Yara Child Advocacy Centre, Mr. Damilola Adenusi, and a representative of the State Universal Basic Education Board, Dr. Bunmi Elabor.

The panelists concluded that institutional commitments and coordinated efforts across government and civil society are necessary to effectively eradicate child abuse and exploitation in the country.

Written by Olusegun Haastrup