November 19, (THEWILL) – The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) says enforcement of laws against child labour is critical to eradicating the menace in the country.
According to a child labour report by the National Bureau for Statistics (NBS), Nigeria, with a population of 216 million, has 30.3 percent of its population aged 17 years or below. The NBS reported in 2022 that 50.5 percent of Nigerian children are engaged in economic activities, and 39.2 percent (24.6 million) subjected to child labour. The report also revealed that 22.9 percent of Nigerian children are involved in hazardous work.
Speaking with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), the Lagos State Chairman of the NLC, Mrs Funmi Sessi, urged the Government to ensure perpetrators of child labour receive severe punishment to serve as a deterrent to others.
“People should respect the law of the land, and perpetrators should receive severe punishment to serve as a deterrent to others who may want to use underage children for child labour”, she said.
Noting that ensuring children are educated would get them off the streets and guarantee their future, Sessi said the NLC had made much effort to tackle child labour through advocacy and reporting to the appropriate authorities including the Federal Ministry of Labour.
She, therefore, called on the government to transmit the Labour Standard Bill to the National Assembly without further delay to safeguard the future of the youths.
“The National Assembly should also speedily pass the bill into law so that it will enable more actions against child labour. Then, there will be definite and better prospects for the children and the youths. Government should also support parents or guardians and empower them to be gainfully employed to be able to train their children”, she said.
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