Foundation urges FG to empower Committee on child labour

Foundation urges FG to empower Committee on child labour
By Olasunkanmi Onifade
Children
Abuja, Sept. 21, 2018 (NAN) The National Coordinator, Child and Youth Protection Foundation, Mr Kolawole Olatosimi, has appealed to the Federal Government to empower the steering committee on child labour across the country including the FCT.
Olatosimi made the call during an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Friday in Abuja.
He said the committee need to be funded adequately and called for more commitment of the members.
Olatosimi said although some state committees are working properly, but there was room for more improvement.
“Boys outnumbered girls in hazardous work; more than 60 per cent children in hazardous work are boys, we must ensure that children are not in hazardous work.
“Some of the physical or psychological impacts of hazardous work may not be obvious immediately, but only begin to appear at a later stage in their lives.
“Hazardous work can have immediate and long-term impacts on children. These may include injury and even death; it could be due to pesticide poisoning,’’ the coordinator said.
Olatosimi said children and adolescents are specifically vulnerable to the effects of hazardous work because they are still developing physically and mentally.
He said some parents could be careless about the wellbeing of their children and hide under poverty to destroy the future of these children and put unnecessary pressure on the larger society.
Olatosimi however said there should be a mechanism to identify and punish erring parents, saying it can serve as deterrent to others and gradually eliminate or reduce the number of children in hazardous work and child labour.
“Another way of eliminating hazardous work on children is to focus on the parents of those children involved in it.
“The necessary government MDAs like the Inspectorate Department of the Ministry of Labour and Employment, Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development, NAPTIP, National Human Right Commission must be well funded and staff properly trained to work effectively in the elimination of hazardous work and all forms of child labour.
“The Nigeria hazardous work list need to be disseminated to more MDAs, and the public and the ministry of labour and employment needs to increase their engagements with social partners and other relevant stakeholders,” he said. (NAN)
OEO/MST
Edited by Muhammad Suleiman Tola