As the world observed the World Day Against Child Labour and marked the 25th anniversary of the adoption of ILO Convention No. 182 on the Worst Forms of Child Labour, the Director of ILO Abuja Country Office for Liberia, Sierra Leone, Ghana, Nigeria, and Liaison office for the ECOWAS, Ms Vanessa Phala, has urged all stakeholders to double their efforts and strengthen their unity to end child labour in Nigeria and the ECOWAS sub-region.
“I call on everyone here today to strengthen our unity in our fight against child labour and forced labour. We must strive to ensure that every child in the world can flourish in a safe and nurturing environment. Let us work together to make a change in the world.” She said at the commemorative event held on 12 June 2024 in Akure Ondo State.
Funded by the United States Department of Labour through the ILO Action against Child Labour in Agriculture in West Africa (ACLAWA) and Global Accelerator lab (GALAB) projects in Nigeria, the commemoration was attended by over 350 students from 40 schools in Ondo State.
Phala, represented by the ACLAWA Project Manager, Agatha Kolawole, further urged all stakeholders to fulfill their commitments to Convention No. 182. The World Day Against Child Labour, according to her, was meant for the effective implementation of those ILO Conventions, reinvigorated action to end child labour, and universal ratification and implementation of both conventions.
The Director noted the urgency to fully implement these fundamental ILO Conventions is more pressing than ever, as the world and indeed Nigeria, approach the 2025 target set by the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG target 8.7) for the elimination of child labour.
“Balancing education and work poses complex challenges, emphasizing the importance of concerted efforts to eradicate child labor and ensure access to quality education for all.” Phala added.
The Controller of the Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment in Ondo State, Mrs Olanike Mogboruko, urged all stakeholders to remember that every child deserves a childhood free from exploitation and filled with opportunities to learn, grow, and thrive.
She acknowledged that “Child labour remains a pervasive problem that affects over 160 million children worldwide. These children are often deprived of their basic rights to education, health, and a safe and nurturing environment. We must strengthen our efforts and collaborate across all sectors to create sustainable solutions.”
Representative of the children, Akinwoye Olawale, a student at Sharon Rose College, Okitipupa LGA, called for the enforcement and strengthening of laws and policies that prohibit child labour.
He made reference to Section 2 of the Child’s Rights Act 2023 which states, “A child shall be given such protection and care as is necessary for the well‐being of the child, taking into account the rights and duties of the child’s parents, legal guardians, or other individuals, institutions, services, agencies, organisations or bodies legally responsible for the child.”
The commemoration of the 2024 World Against Child Labour in Nigeria started on 11 June with Akure neighbourhood sensitisation walk by ILO and partners.
###Note to editor
In Nigeria, the National Bureau of Statistics 2017 survey report states that about 50.8 per cent of Nigerian children, ages between 5 and 17, are involved in child labour. Nigeria is also a source, transit, and destination country for women and children subjected to forced labour and sex trafficking, and a source country for men and boys subjected to forced labour. Women and girls are victims of domestic servitude and sex trafficking, and boys are victims of forced and bonded labour in street vending, domestic service, mining, stone quarrying, agriculture and begging. The elimination of child labour and forced labour is intrinsically linked to promoting “sustained economic growth and full and productive employment and decent work for all”, as established in SDG 8.
The International Labour Organization (ILO), through funding from the US Department of Labour, is implementing the Action against Child Labour in Agriculture in West Africa (ACLAWA) and Global Accelerator lab (GALAB) projects in Nigeria. The project builds on the ILO’s extensive experience in implementing initiatives on the elimination of child labour. It also draws upon the experience and lessons learned from the ILO’s work with the tripartite constituents at global, regional, national and local levels, the private sector as well as other actors along global supply chains. The project will also be collaborating with two other projects in the ILO to ensure the elimination of child labour.
The ACLAWA and GALAB projects seek to address these concerns by adapting previously successful interventions in similar L-MICs where facilitating access to basic social services, social protection programs are an effective tool for reducing poverty, and consequently child labour.
For more information and media enquiries contact:
Oluseyi Soremekun – National Information Officer, UN Information Centre (UNIC) | +234 803 303 0002 | [email protected]
Dear colleague,
Kindy find attached, a Press Release on the commemoration of the World Day Against Child Labour by the UN Labour Organisation, ILO, in Akure, Ondo State.
Photo Captions
A0391: L-R: Controller of the Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment in Ondo State, Mrs Olanike Mogboruko; ILO-ACLAWA Project Manager, Agatha Kolawole; and Dean, School of Agriculture, Federal University of Technology, Akure (FUTA), Professor Oluwatoyin Osundahunsi, at the event.
A0434: ILO-ACLAWA Project Manager, Agatha Kolawole, addresses the audience on behalf of the Director of ILO Abuja Country Office for Liberia, Sierra Leone, Ghana, Nigeria, and Liaison office for the ECOWAS, Ms Vanessa Phala.
