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admin The International Labour Organisation (ILO) has said more than 24 million children in Nigeria are victims of child labour.
According to the Nigeria child and forced labour report 2022, over 62.9 million children, aged 5 to 17, live in Nigeria. ILO said the figures translate to 39.2 per cent of children in Nigeria being subjected to child labour, especially in the agricultural sector.
“While a significant portion of children aged 5-14 are engaged in full-time schooling, a concerning 35.3 per cent are found to juggle work alongside their educational pursuits,” the report, done in collaboration with the Ministry of Labour and Employment, and the Nigeria Bureau of Statistics (NBS), said.
It added: “Among 15-17 year olds, the proportion engaged solely in work rises to 21.9 per cent, indicating complex challenges in ensuring access to education and protection from exploitation for Nigeria’s youth.”
According to ILO Country Director, Ms. Vanessa Phala, more boys are affected on a national scale with 12 million facing forced labour.
Narrowing the figures down to areas of residence, Ms. Phala said more girls are victims in the urban areas while a greater number of boys are affected in the rural areas.
Citing a 2021 global child labour report released by ILO and UNICEF, Ms. Phala said it showed a global increase of child labour prevalence by 8.4 million, reaching a staggering 160 million.
Ms. Phala, represented by Agatha Kolawole, the National Project Manager of Action against Child Labour in Agriculture in West Africa (ACLAWA), ILO’s programme initiative, spoke at a media training facilitated by ILO and the US department of Labour in Akwanga, Nasarawa State.
She said most of the children affected come from poorer families or from households where the heads are less educated.
“This prominence, however, has led to a high prevalence of child labour in agriculture, especially with increasing cost of hired labour and inflation, leading to farmers turning to support within the home.
“When asked reasons for being out of school, 9.5 per cent said education is not considered important, 12.6 per cent could not afford it, 16.2 per cent not interested in school, 19.1 per cent reported their families does not allow, 24.6 said they do not have school in their communities or that the schools are too far or that they do not have teachers in their schools.
“Agriculture remains the branch of economy with the highest child labour prevalence at 56.8 per cent, followed by services at 25.8 per cent and industry at 17.4 per cent.”
The ILO report recommended social expansion of access to early childhood development opportunities for vulnerable households, reduction in school cost, improvement of school quality and access to education.
“There should also be means to promote decent work for youths of the legal working age, promote transition from informal to formal economy, promote decent rural livelihoods.
“Equally important is to promote rural resilience through the development of social protection strategies combining contributory social insurance and tax-based social assistance to ensure adequate protection of rural populations throughout their lives, including in confronting risks and contingencies specific to rural areas,” the report said.
Ms. Phala also urged stakeholders to invest in developing the skills of rural youth, bolster farm productivity and contribute to a structural shift towards higher-value-added manufacturing and services.
On a global scale, Phala said there has been a prevalence of child labour by 8.4 million, reaching an alarming 160 million.
