Causes & Interventions of Child Labour In Nigeria - Case Study Example

CHILD LABOR IN NIGERIA Name: Institution: Lecturer: Course: Location: Class: Date: CHILD LABOR IN NIGERIA Nigeria is a country located in West Africa and is a federal constitutional republic that consists of 36 states. Its capital is in Abuja. The name was derived from the Niger River that runs through the country by the British colonial administrator in the late 19th century. There are three most prominent ethnic groups in this country, and they include Hausa, Igbo and Yoruba. The traditional religious practices are Muslim and Christianity that are split into two halves. This country is the most populated country in the whole of Africa and the fastest growing economically. Studies have shown that the number of child labor has drastically increased with around 15 million children working in an unhealthy environment. These children carry out responsibilities that are too much for their age and the working conditions are unsafe with little pay and no food. Statistics carried out shows that children working in public places such as streets and markets perform manual jobs. (Agbu,O. 2009) Such jobs are vendors with the largest percentage totaling up to 64%. Begging seconds the list with a percentage of 13%, shoe shining, car washing, feet washing and scavenging follows suite. Apart from working in public places, some survive by doing blue collar jobs such as domestic workers, Mechanics, gardeners, caterers and many others. Most of the African countries and especially Nigeria view child labor as an important part for the development of the country. In most cases, these children are of commercial importance as they actively contribute to the upkeep of their family, and for this reason, parent find them as valuable assets. Efforts by the world Trade Organization to protect workers rights among them being to prohibit child labor have received a negative response from the developing countries. They have argued that doing so would reduce the labor cost, and instead persuaded this frame to launch free trade. This would improve the trade regime worldwide thus reduction of child labor. On the other hand, studies have shown that child labor can not be totally abolished as this would reduce the rate of school enrolment. (Agbu, O. 2009) This is so because many children work as they go to school to pay for their tuition. Some of these children work in order to ensure their siblings to school. For this reason, it is almost impossible to separate child labor from the younger generation. Child labor in Nigeria is most common in rural, un-monitored and informal sector due to lack of enforcement of labor restrictions. These children work for a variety of reasons such as poverty. They work to care for their families, and in most cases, parents make them do so in order to contribute to the families upkeep. (Agbonlahor, M.U Adeyemo, R& Bamire, A.S.2009) Studies show that parent in the developing countries such as Nigeria always make sure that their children’s ability to work is fully utilized. Lack of education is also another contributor to child labor. Children who go into labor at an early age do so due to lack of access to education. The few education institutions face challenges such as overcrowding, inadequate sanitation and inexperienced teachers. Parents of such children think it is unnecessary to send them to school, as this is a complete waste of time and resources. Parents in Developing countries Nigeria included tend to give roles to their children and these increases the number of working children. This is usually triggered by the event that involves certain children, usually the first born to attend classes while the rest are left home to run the issued duties. Rapid growth of rural to urban migration has also contributed to the growth of child labor. This is because many families leave their homes for the cities in search of economic opportunities that happen to be fairytales. (Agbonlahor, M.U, Adeyemo, R& Bamire, A.S. 2009) Under these circumstances, children are caught up in the state and ends up working as domestic workers or street vendors. To handle the situation in a wise manner, the Nigerian government has formally adopted the International Labor Organization conventions that define the minimum age of employment for children and thus eliminating the child labor. (Agbu, O. 2009) To devote its self further, the Nigerian Government implemented the West Africa Cocoa project and by doing so, the child Right Act Section 28 and 29 was passed into law. This bill prohibits exploitive labor and enforces labor law. Some of the states in this country have banned children from working during the study time. In an effort to address the issue of child labor in the country, the Nigerian government has worked hand in hand with International Program on the Elimination of Child Labor and funding by the U.S. Department of labor to launch a program that would be responsible for development and implementation of the national strategy on child labor. (Hindman, H.D. 2009) The country has also performed a national child labor survey to monitor child labor. It has been involved in the local plan to combat child trafficking for misuse of labor. UNICEF as a group has started a number of programs to rehabilitate street children in Lagos and teach them technically. (Agbu, O. 2009) This organization has also contributed to the elimination of child labor in different ways that include. Enforcement of international laws to protect children, supporting the development of Child Rights Act to the state level, supporting an Inter –Agency policy on child labor, Supporting National Baseline Survey to examine the number of sexually exploited children Child cruelty and youth Militia and supporting the federal bureau of Statistics that would help monitor the child labor to mention a few. The Nigerian president has been actively involved in curbing the issue of child labor. He has achieved this by launching a new Universal Basic Education system requiring the first nine years of school going being open and compulsory. The main objective of this plan is to improve the importance and effectiveness of learning institutions. The federal ministry of women affairs has not been left behind in discouraging child labor. (Akpan, N, Oluwabamide, A.J. 2010) This group has worked together with UNICEF to establish a non-formal education system for girls and children who have no access to school also the school dropout. This measure has increased the number of students especially girls. Conclusion Well wishers have taken measures to prevent this epidemic of child labor has significantly affected many households in Nigeria. The effects have been both positive and negative. Parents have lost work force but gained educated children at the same time. In an effort, to curb child labor, local government, community leaders, and activists have started educating parent about the dangers involved in child labor. Africa in general is adversely affected. An estimate shows that the number of children involved in child labor is expected to go to 100 million by the year 2015. This problem typically occurs due to shortage in the continent and can be avoided by creating ways of increasing revenue and educational opportunities. Child trafficking happens to be another cause of child labor. This is because the act breaks the relationship between children and their families. Studies show that these children are trafficked to conduct household chore, to work on plantations and for sexual exploitation. These children work for 10- 20 hours a day, and this is extremely dangerous for their fragile bodies. Apart from suffering due to hard work, they develop sexually transmitted diseases such as HIV/ Aids and in most cases; neither the parent nor the children get paid for the work done. As a matter of fact, these children work like a slave since they perform all types of work with no pay. After thorough evaluation of the situation, it is clear that poverty is the author of all the mischief in the society. Rural areas are the most affected since families are pushed by the situation into using all the avenues they have to increase their minimal income. Search of quality education is another contributing factor to child labor since they move from their loving families with a goal of advancing education. Instead of acquiring Education, they work. It is difficult to do away with child labor since the cause is within the family. For this reason, UNICEF and ILO have taken the initiative to educate the public about the dangers involved in exploiting children and have mobilized the government to curb the situation. However, a number of programmes to reduce the causes of child labor and create opportunities for adults since they can not be totally eliminated are underway. These organizations have helped a vast deal, and for this reason, thing are starting to turn out well. If parents and society at large tail the directive by the government, and these organizations, events will be much better and the generation to come will benefit. Bibliography Hindman, H. D. (2009), The world of child labor, a historical and regional survey. Agbu, O. (2009), Children and youth in the labor process in Africa, Agbonlahor, M.U., Adeyemo, R. & Bamire, A.S. (2009), "Optimal Arable Crop Plan and Child Farm Labor Reduction in Rural Households of Ogun State", Krepublishers.com, vol., no. pp. Akpan, N., Oluwabamide, A.J. &, A.S. (2010), "The Menace of Child Abuse in Nigeria", A Case Study of Street Hawking in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State, vol., no. pp. Read More