Labour
By Olasunkanmi Onifade
Abuja, June 12, 2018 (NAN) The Almajiri Child Right Initiative on Tuesday appealed to government at all levels to increase more access to free and quality public education for children.
The Coordinator of the group, Mr Mohammed Keana made the appeal during an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja to commemorate the World Day against Child Labour.
He listed the major causes of child labour to include: poverty, lack of educational facility and weak or lack of implementation of laws that protect children’s vulnerability.
“Ending child labour in Nigeria, especially those involving Almajiri Children, requires a multi-facet response that addresses the array of forces, economic, political, religious, cultural and legal, that contribute to children’s vulnerability and enable abuses.
“Some national and regional policies should focus on community driven mobilisation and sensitisation of the effects of Child Labour on the health and future of Children.
“Agriculture should be given priority as means of poverty reduction,” he said.
Keana said child labour was one of the most atrocious social evils prevalent in the society, saying that child labour denies a child his or her basic rights.
He said that when the basic rights of children are denied, they are denied the opportunity to be children.
According to him, throughout the world and especially in developing countries, child labour is an endemic problem.
“Millions of children do all kind of work in factories, industries, in shops, in restaurants, in roadside and also as domestic workers in our households.
“Children are also forced to work in certain worst forms of employments such as in hazardous substance manufacturing or producing factories, forced labour, and even in drug trafficking and child prostitution,’’ Keana said.
He called on relevant stakeholders to have community driven welfare social system between the government and elites that supports the poor and vulnerable children family, to prevent them from child labour.
Keana urged ECOWAS and Refugees Commission to ensure fair and effective migration policy that will prevent children’s vulnerability, adding that there was need to strengthen legislation and enforcement.
NAN reports that in 2002, the International Labour Organisation (ILO) decided to observe the World Day against Child Labour (WDACL) every June 12, to fight against the evil of child labour.
The purpose of the day was to bring the attention of everyone involved to issues concerning child labour and to make efforts to address and eliminate them. (NAN)
OEO/OIF/AFA
===========
Edited by Ifeyinwa Okonkwo/Felix Ajide