The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Child Labour

  • Eradicating child labour

    SIR: The Greek philosopher, Plato, once said: “If a man neglects education, he walks lame to the end of his life.”

    According to statistics  by  the UNESCO Institute for Statistics (UIS), one out of five children in sub Saharan Africa between the ages of six and 11 are out of school, while  one out of three  between the ages of 12 and 14  are also not enrolled in school. Their finding shows that almost 60% of youths between the ages of 15 and 17 in that part of Africa are not in school.

    Localising these facts, Nigeria is said to have the highest number of out of school children in the world. The Federal Ministry of Education through its permanent secretary, Adamu Hussaini, last year revealed that 10.5 million children are out of school with a larger percentage among girls, street children and the children of nomadic groups.

    This year, the theme of the Day of the African Child is “Leave No Child Behind for Africa’s Development.” Quality education is clearly the key to put every other vice affecting African child to an end. The engagement of a child in any work that deprives him or her ability to attend regular school is referred to as child labour.

    It is disheartening to see children hawk items on the street when they are supposed to be in school. Some of them who go to school hawk till late at night.

    Education of the African Child, if well managed, is an effective component of any effort to eliminate this exploitative act that is rampant in Africa.

    We need to invest in the education of our children so that they can be equipped to face any form of challenges ahead.  The youths are the most vulnerable assets in our societies. They are the present and the future of our world.

    It is important for all African countries to show genuine interest in the plight of the African child by ensuring adequate funding and implementation of policies that will make qualitative education affordable to all.

    The underlining causes of this high rate of out of school children such as conflicts which has been a threat to the continent should also be addressed effectively.

    Government and its security apparatus should be more proactive on the issues of conflict.

    But beyond the government, all stakeholders involved in the socialisation process of the African child must work together for the plight of children in the region to improve. Parents, religious leaders, media must join hands with government on this matter.

    We should ensure no child is left behind for the good of Africa’s development.

     

    • Sesan Sodunke,

     Abeokuta.

  • 152 million in child labour globally – ILO

    Director-General of the International Labour Organisation (ILO) Guy Ryder, has said that about 152 million children between the ages of 5 And 17 are trapped in incidences of child labour across the world.

    Speaking at an event to mark the World Day against child labour at the ongoing 107th session of the International Labour conference in Geneva, Ryder said world leaders must take steps to address the rout cause of child labour if incidences of child labour are to reduce across the world.

    The ILO Director General said between 2012 and 2016, there was “almost no reduction in the number of children aged 5 to 11 in child labour, and the number of these most vulnerable, youngest children in hazardous work actually increased.

    “These children typically begin child labour at the age of six or seven and they commonly perform hazardous work as they get older.”

    while calling for urgent action to tackle the economic root causes of child labour, Ryder said attention must be paid not only to global supply chains, but also to unpaid family workers in agriculture.

    Read Also:FG moves to end child labour, ensure safety in work place

    He said “the challenge is not just about globally-traded garments, tobacco and cocoa; it is also about local markets for sorghum, millet, bricks – and it’s about domestic work as well,” he said, ahead of the World Day against Child Labour, marked on June 12.

    Ryder said the 152 million children in child labour worldwide is partly because of the child labour in agriculture – which is mostly unpaid family work, which has been on the increased.

    The event in Geneva also marked the 20th anniversary of the Global March against Child Labour, which culminated in June 1998, when hundreds of marchers, including children, took to the stage at the International Labour Conference, where delegates paved the ground for the adoption in 1999 of ILO Convention No. 182  on “Eliminating the Worst Forms of Child Labour.”

    Speaking at the event, an Indian children’s rights activist and Nobel peace prize laureate,  Kailash Satyarthi, who had led the Global March against Child Labour, in June 1998, told the panel that much still remains to be done to eliminate child labour across the world..

    he said “If the children are still trapped in the international supply chains, if the children are still enslaved, if the children are still sold and bought like animals – sometimes for less than the price of animals – to work in the fields and farms, and shops and factories, or for households as domestic workers, this is a blot on humanity”.

    General Secretary of the International Union of Food, Agricultural, Hotel, Restaurant, Catering, Tobacco and Allied Workers’ Associations (IUF), Sue Longley, stressed the importance of keeping a strong focus on agriculture, which is where about 70 per cent of child labour is.

    On his part, Nazrene Mannie, from the Board of Business Unity in South Africa, highlighted the difficulty of tackling child labour when it takes place in family farms or enterprises, often hidden from public view.

    This year’s World Day against Child Labour also seeks to promote safety and health for young workers. Speaking on that topic, Mariam Kamissoko, of the National Social Security fund in Cote d’Ivoire, pointed out that the rate of accidents is higher among youth than among older workers.

     

  • Ministry takes battle against child labour to Southsouth

    The Federal Government’s efforts at eliminating child labour has received a boost. The Ministry of Labour and Employment has taken the campaign on National Reporting Template on Child Labour to the Southsouth geo-political zone.

    Declaring open a two-day capacity building workshop on the National Reporting Template on Child Labour for stakeholders in Port-Harcourt, Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Labour and Employment, Bolaji Adebiyi, said child labour posed a great threat to global peace.

    He said: “As you are aware, child labour presents a serious challenge at global and national levels and requires concerted efforts by all stakeholders to overcome. That is why the Ministry of Labour and Employment over the years worked assiduously in collaboration with Developmental Partners and other Stakeholders to develop robust National Policies on Child Labour with a view to combat the menace.”

    Adebiyi, represented by his Technical Adviser, Mr. Emmanuel Igbinosun, emphasised that until recent times there was no national reporting template for proper monitoring, evaluation and data collation on child labour in Nigeria.

    “Today, we are at the threshold of history as I present to you a National Reporting Template on Child Labour in Nigeria as validated by all stakeholders,” he said.

    He said the template would not only facilitate the generation of data but serve as a valuation mechanism to facilitate the identification of gaps in the implementation of multi-sectoral strategies and processes as well as provide the basis for proactive and remedial actions aimed at reducing or eliminating child labour.

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

  • Ministry strengthens fight against child labour

    The Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment, Bolaji Adebiyi, has  restated  the  ministry`s preparedness to champion the  fight against child labour, modern slavery, human trafficking and forced labour in line with emerging global trends in labour administration.

    Adebiyi stated   this  while addressing the strategy meeting of the National Steering Committee on Child Labour, in Abuja. He acknowledged that one of the emerging global trends in labour administration is the renewed fight against child labour, modern slavery, human trafficking and forced labour as encapsulated in the Alliance 8.7.

    He said Nigeria, as a signatory to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the United Nations, should not be found lagging behind, but rather, should be at the forefront of the pursuit of these objectives.

    He said the fight against the scourge of child labour will require the innovation and collaboration of stakeholders, as the Federal Government cannot do it alone.

    He said: “Eradication of child labour can only be accelerated through leveraging expertise across diverse fields. Hence, Target 8.7 of the Sustainable Development Goals and Alliance 8.7, emphatically requests stakeholders in the fight against the scourge of child labour to work together in new innovative and collaborative ways.”

    Also, the Federal Government has restated its commitment to reduce unemployment in the country through the construction of new skills acquisition centres, as well as completion and rehabilitation of abandoned centres.

    The Minister of Labour and Employment, Senator Chris Ngige, at the groundbreaking ceremony of the Federal Specialist Skills Acquisition Centre, Ifitedunu, Dunukofia Local Government Area of Anambra State, said the government was working towards reducing unemployment in the country within a short to medium-term frame.

    “The good news is that the Federal Government, through well-articulated strategies, which include the construction of new skills acquisition centres, completion and rehabilitation of abandoned and dilapidated centres across the country, is working towards curtailing unemployment in the country,” he said.

    Ngige stressed that the focus on vocational skills acquisition as a strategy to combat youth unemployment, is predicated on its successful deployment by both developing and developed nations to stem the tide of unemployment and trends in modern labour market demand for a developing nation like Nigeria.

    He said the specialised skills acquisition centres are also designed to provide hands-on skills in modern building and construction techniques, including welding and fabrication to produce metal doors among others.

    “We are focusing on skills acquisition because the trend in modern labour market demands for a growing country like ours. With a huge housing deficit of 17 million and with the estimated construction of 1,000 housing units in each of the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory, Nigeria has the potential of creating over three million jobs in a year with huge multiplier effects.

    “Countries like America, Britain and Canada are reported to have recorded 80 to 70 per cent contributions to their GDP through housing and construction sector, this is achievable in Nigeria,” Ngige said.

  • Labour chief criticises reduced efforts to combat child workers

    Labour chief criticises reduced efforts to combat child workers

    Efforts to combat child labour have slowed, according to the head of the International Labour Organisation (ILO), as a conference on the topic started in Buenos Aires on Tuesday.

    Guy Ryder, director general of the ILO, said that the number of working children has fallen by some 100 million since 1997, but the rate of change has slowed markedly.

    According to the latest estimates, half of those in forced labour are in dangerous jobs.

    “We can’t predict how labour markets will change in the future, but we do know one thing, we want no more children labour and no more modern slavery,’’ Ryder said at the conference.

    Delegates are discussing ways to end child labour, which experts say affects every 10th child on earth.

    According to the latest estimates, some 152 million children worldwide are in child labour.

    The fourth international conference on child labour, organised by the ILO and bringing together experts from 193 countries, has the goal of ending child labour by 2025.

    “Eighty-nine million people experienced some form of modern slavery for periods of time ranging from a few days to five years” over the last five years, Andrew Forrest, chairman of the Walk Free Foundation, said in the build-up to the three-day conference.

    He said this, however, showed a shocking tolerance of exploitation.

  • Cleric seeks probe of ‘thuggery, child labour’

    A blind cleric and General Overseer of the Hour of Mercy Prayer Ministry Worldwide (Orioke Alaseyori), Prophet Muyideen Moses Kasali, has urged the police to probe cases of alleged child labour and slavery levelled against a top chief in Ilora community of Oyo State.

    Kasali, who prevented some youths from burning down some homes and churches during a crusade he organised, told reporters that the police should also tighten security in the town to stop those he called power brokers from using youths to breach the peace in a dispute between the Akibio of Ilora in Afijio Local Government Area and a businessman, Mr Afolabi Steven (aka Afos).

    Some angry youths, comprising “Area Boys”, reportedly planned to torch some churches, homes and business premises belonging to Afos over a dispute between him and the monarch.

    It was learnt that Afos had been having a running battle with the monarch.

    Kasali said: “I had a powerful crusade at Ilora town, as the Lord led me. God displayed his awesome powers during the crusade, which was a vigil and lasted for hours till the morning. Many people received miraculous healings, deliverance and salvation.

    “I have organised so many crusades, as directed by God, where I anointed even some kings in Ilora neighbouring towns just for peace, progress of the area. So, I am concerned that some people were plotting to truncate these works.”

     

     

  • Cleric seeks probe of ‘thuggery, child labour’

    A blind cleric and General Overseer of the Hour of Mercy Prayer Ministry Worldwide (Orioke Alaseyori), Prophet Muyideen Moses Kasali, has urged the police to probe cases of alleged child labour and slavery levelled against a top chief in Ilora community of Oyo State.

    Kasali, who prevented some youths from burning down some homes and churches during a crusade he organised, told reporters that the police should also tighten security in the town to stop those he called power brokers from using youths to breach the peace in a dispute between the Akibio of Ilora in Afijio Local Government Area and a businessman, Mr Afolabi Steven (aka Afos).

    Some angry youths, comprising “Area Boys”, reportedly planned to torch some churches, homes and business premises belonging to Afos over a dispute between him and the monarch.

    It was learnt that Afos had been having a running battle with the monarch.

    Kasali said: “I had a powerful crusade at Ilora town, as the Lord led me. God displayed his awesome powers during the crusade, which was a vigil and lasted for hours till the morning. Many people received miraculous healings, deliverance and salvation.

    “I have organised so many crusades, as directed by God, where I anointed even some kings in Ilora neighbouring towns just for peace, progress of the area. So, I am concerned that some people were plotting to truncate these works.”

  • Ambode’s wife cautions against child labour

    Ambode’s wife cautions against child labour

    Wife of the Governor of Lagos State, Mrs Bolanle Ambode, has called on mothers and guardians to pay more attention to the welfare of their children and wards.

    Besides, she enjoined them to stop child labour.

    She made the call yesterday while interacting with reporters at Ikeja, on the celebration of the 2017 World Day against Child Labour.

    Mrs Ambode said child labour was a crime against humanity.

    She said: “Child labour refers to the employment of children in any work that deprives children of the joy of childhood; interferes with their ability to attend regular schools, which is mentally, physically, socially and morally dangerous and harmful to the society. This practice is considered exploitative.

    “Every child should enjoy childhood when they must live in the love and care of their parents.”

    Healthy children, she said, were the future and power-house of any country, stressing that engaging in child labour amounted to spoiling and destroying the future of the children and the country.

    Mrs Ambode recalled that the state is the first in the federation to pass the Child’s Rights Law.

    She enjoined mothers and guidians to always extend love to their children and wards, ensure their enrolment in school and ensure that they grow with good memories of childhood.

    June 12, every year is set aside as World Day Against Child Labour, to raise awareness on the plight of child labourers across the world.

  • 168m children engaged in child labour globally, says ILO

    168m children engaged in child labour globally, says ILO

    Majority of the over 168 million children involved in child Labour across the world live in areas affected by conflict and disaster, and often pay the heaviest price during conflicts according to the International Labour Organisation (ILO).

    The ILO has therefore decided to dedicate the 2017 World Day Against Child Labour scheduled for Monday, 12 June to focus on the impact of conflicts and disasters on child labour globally.

    The world body of Labour asked world leaders and member states  to take measure to combat and prevent child Labour, adding that “in times of conflict, in times of disaster, when livelihoods are disrupted, basic services are lost and people can be forced from their homes, entire families become more vulnerable. But it is children who often pay the heaviest price.”

    It added that the  proposed ILO Recommendation concerning Employment and Decent Work for Peace and Resilience (Revision of the Transition from War to Peace Recommendation, 1944, No. 71 ), being discussed during the 106th Session of the International Labour Conference  (ILC) calls for specific action against child labour arising from or exacerbated by conflicts or disasters. 

    “In countries affected by conflicts and disaster, the ILO, governments, workers’ and employers’ organizations and humanitarian actors work together to prevent and withdraw children from child labour, and enrol them in education. Using an integrated approach to promote fundamental principles and rights at work, the ILO has developed specific tools to prevent child labour and provide economic reintegration in post-conflict situations, with a particular focus on children formerly associated with armed forces and groups. 

    “The ILO works closely with partners to tackle child labour in emergencies. In 2016, the Child Labour Task Force of the Alliance for Child Protection in Humanitarian Action , co-chaired by the ILO and Plan International, launched its Inter-agency Guidance: Supporting the Protection Needs of Child Labourers in Emergencies . This toolkit provides guidance to humanitarian workers on protecting children from child labour. 

    “The ILO is part of Alliance 8.7 , the global strategic partnership committed to achieving SDG Target 8.7, which calls on the world to end forced labour, modern slavery and human trafficking, and, by 2025 to end child labour in all its forms. One of its six Action Groups is dedicated to addressing these issues in situations of crisis,” ILO stated.

    It argued that Child labour violates international laws and the UN Conventions, including the ILO child labour Conventions and the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, adding that the ILO’s Minimum Age Convention, 1973 (No. 138)  and the Worst Forms of Child Labour Convention, 1999 (No. 182)  have now been ratified by 169 and 180 member States respectively. 

    The 2017  world day against child Labour is part of activities lined up for the ongoing 106th session of the international Labour Organisation.

  • NIS rescues 16 kids from child labour in Ekiti

    The Ekiti State Command of the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) has rescued 16 children who are being used for child labour in the last one year.

    The NIS Comptroller in the state, Mrs. Remi Talabi, revealed that some of the rescued children are being used for prostitution.

    Of the 16 rescued kids whose ages range between four and 16 years, only one of them was male while the rest were females.

    The immigration comptroller disclosed this when a group that adopted two children in Ekiti 12 years ago, the Boots Family from the Netherlands, visited her in office in Ado Ekiti, the state capital.

    Joshua, 18, and Victor, 14, were adopted in October 13, 2015 and taken to Netherlands after the death of their mother.

    The Boots Family was led to the immigration comptroller’s office by the Director of Social Welfare in Ekiti, Dr. Ayodele Ibikunle.

    Talabi said, “When children are trafficked, they are transported illegally. They are also subjected to inhuman treatment because they know they can’t come out.

    “Within this year alone, we have rescued 16 children from where they were being used for hard labour.

    “When they are supposed to be in school, they would be washing plates, doing sorts of work and probably will be the last to go to bed.

    “The sad thing is that people are going beyond child labour, they are using them for prostitution. We will keep fighting this until we record all round success.”