By Justina Auta
Some stakeholders on Tuesday said sending underage live-in househelps to school does not justify their been used as workers, as it exposes them to violence, sexual exploitation and trafficking.
In separate interviews with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja, the stakeholders decried the number of recorded cases of abuse, maltreatment and other forms of violence meted on these children.
Mrs Mariam Gbadebo, Founder and Executive Director, Mariam Adeola Gbadebo (MAG) Foundation, said that some people felt that, sending their underage domestic help to school justified everything.
“There are so many adults out there who do not have jobs, for you to now say that it is a child that you want to engage in domestic labor.
“What are the reasons people engage in domestic labor? To take care of the children, to watch the household?
“Who is better to do it than an adult? Why would you put a child in domestic labour to watch over children?
“So we speak strongly against it. We say it is not acceptable, and it still forms under a harmful practice, exposes them to violence, child trafficking, child labour and child sex exploitation,”she said.
Mrs Elizabeth Duile, Chief Operating Officer, Civitas Auxillium Foundation (CAF), stressed the need to ensure that all children, especially the vulnerable in Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) camp had access to education.
Duile emphasised that education would enable them explore their potentials and free them from any form of exploitations, abuse and violence.
” Every child has a vision. Most of these children in IDP camps also dream of becoming great and successful, but they are forced to live in such state due to certain conditions.
“We all have a role to play to ensure that these children achieve their vision, or else we will be putting our future and the future of those in school at risk,” she said.
Mrs Bassey Ita-Ikpang, FCT Chairperson, Nigeria Association of Women Journalists (NAWOJ), advocated for full implementation of policies that would end child labour, trafficking and hawking.
“You can not hide under the guise of helping these vulnerable children by sending them to school to exploit them.
“All legal instruments should be put in place to stop all these, as it exposes them to all forms of violence, sexual abuse, maltreatment and harmful practices,” she said.
Ita-Ikpang said that NAWOJ had been championing advocacies to encourage access and enrollment of the girl-child to education.
“We strongly believe that all children should be in school, especially the girl-child.
“We are working hard to see that more children are in school through our programmes, to enable them actualise their vision for the future,” she said.
Mrs Uju Kennedy-Ohanenye, former Minister of Women Affairs recently warned against underage helps and maltreatment, adding that severe punishment awaits perpetrators of inhuman treatment.
Kennedy-Ohanenye gave the warning when the police paraded an Anambra-based lawyer, Adachukwu Okafor, who was arrested for allegedly assaulting her 10-year-old househelp.
She said that apart from the domestication and implementation of the Child Rights Act, the Violence Against Persons Prohibition (VAPP) Act and others, government would implement other strategies to stop the practice.
She said that it had recently become prevalent in many parts of the country.
“The minister thanked President Bola Tinubu for given her the powers to protect the rights of women and children.
“I am telling Nigerians, no more taking a child under 18 as househelp. We are launching all sorts of measures to protect women and children.
“As you employ a child under 18 years, the police will not rest and I also will not rest, until we stop all these societal ills and prosecute offenders,” The minister said.
On his part, ACP Olumiyiwa Adejobi, the Force Public Relations Officer (FPRO), assured of thorough investigation and prosecution of such related cases.
Adejobi, who was represented by CSP Olabisi Okuwobi, the National Coordinator, Police Campaign Against Cultism and Other Vices, urged Nigerians to take the warning against employment of underage children as househelps seriously.
According to a report by United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), about half of all children aged 5-14 years (47 per cent), or 21 million children in Nigeria are involved in child labour.
A survey by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) showed that overall, of children five years to 17 years old, 50.5 per cent (31,756,302 children) are engaged in economic activity.
Also, 39.2 per cent (24,673,485) were involved in child labour and 22.9 per cent (14,390,353) are involved in hazardous work. (NAN)
