Not just a Right Violation: Child Labour is a Crime in Nigeria

                                         Keep them Smiling:Every Child Deserves an Education

Child labour is, “Any work performed by a child which is detrimental to his or her health, education, physical, mental, spiritual, moral, physical or social development.”

It is,“work that deprives children of their childhood, their potential and their dignity, and that is harmful to the physical and mental development.”

 

Indicators of child labour

If you wish to determine whether you or a neighbour, friend or relation has engaged a child in your custody in child labour these Indicators may be used to verify the child’s status:-

• The child’s age- if below 18yrs, there is a high likelihood that it is a child labour case
• The nature of work performed by the child as well as the hours, late/long hours
• Conditions at work- look at the dangers involved in what the child is doing; level of dignity
• Level of physical or psychosocial stress created by the child’s work
• Separation from family
• Amount of pay
• Opportunities-or lack of opportunities or prospects that the work offers the child

Prohibitions in the Child Rights Act 2003

The Child Rights Act  prohibits engaging children in the following ways and prescribes a penalty of N500, 000 fine or 5yrs prison term or both for offenders :-

• forced exploitative child labour
• lifting or moving heavy objects and
• work in industrial undertakings.

 The Act also prohibits Buying, selling, hiring or otherwise dealing in children for the purpose of:-

• hawking or begging for alms
• Prostitution
• domestic or sexual labour

 Such acts attract a penalty of 10years imprisonment, with no option of fine.

 

Prohibitions in the Labour Act

In states where there is no Child Rights Law, the courts may resort to the Labour Act.

This law permits children at any age to be engaged in light work in domestic service, or to work alongside a family member in agriculture or horticulture.

This could very well line up with our religious, cultural and social values in child training. If well managed, it enables a child to acquire life skills without depriving him of other childhood opportunities like play, school or rest. But we must be mindful of 2 important points:-

1. Household chores must be age appropriate for all family members including live-in relations. Chores like cooking meals, scrubbing floors, washing clothes, drawing water from well, running errands; going to market, bathing & tending to smaller children, walking them to school must be age appropriate.
2. And again "light work" as envisaged in the Labour Act, is work that does not cause a child mental, physical or psychosocial stress.