The International Labour Organisation, ILO, and the Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment have launched the National Child Labour Website and the Child Labour Reporting App.
The website was unveiled to draw awareness on child labour cases across the country and inspire the relevant authorities to take appropriate measures to curtail it.
The initiative was birthed under the National Steering Committee on the Elimination of Child Labour, NSCCL.
According to the Steering Committee, it is aimed at addressing Nigeria’s growing child labour practices, which is believed to be the highest in Africa.
The ILO has estimated that Nigeria has 24.6 million children between ages five to 17 actively involved in child labour practices.
The website unveiling which took place at the UN House in Abuja, coincided with the visit of the Director General of ILO, Mr Gilbert Houngbo to Nigeria.
Houngbo explained thatthe initiative represents not just a technological advancement, but a firm commitment to transparency, accountability and collective action in eradicating child labor from our society.
According to him, Africa is burdened by child labour globally, with 92.2 million children in child labour on the continent, with many of them trapped in hazardous work.
Houngbo said, “Nigeria as the economic powerhouse of the (West Africa) region is at the center of this crisis, more than 39 percent of Nigerian children, approximately 24.6 million, are engaged in child labor, with an important proportion working under exploitative conditions in agriculture and mining, the two sector worldwide, where child labor is pervasive.”
He acknowledged steps being taken by Nigeria to address the challenge of child labour practices.
He said eliminating child labour requires actions from parents, teachers, religious leaders, business owners, community members.
He added: “What we are doing today is a bold step, a step forward in launching this data platform to bridge the gap towards knowledge, knowledge sharing and referrals. The National Child Labour website and the reporting App that was, which was referred to few minutes ago, and I hope it will serve as a comprehensive hub for data collection and for knowledge sharing.
“It will help in real time reporting of child labor cases. It will also promote the visibility of child labour interventions during the cooperation both the government and all partners are doing, including ILO itself. I do take note of the existence of a national referral mechanism for the elimination of child labour to guide and to aid the usage of this reporting app”.
Minister of Labour and Employment, Muhammad Maigari Dingyadi observed that over the years, Nigeria has made giant strides to address the challenge of child labour by the ratification of the ILO conventions 138 and 182 that are instrumental to the elimination of child labour.
The Minister who was represented by the Minister of State, Rt. Hon. Nkeiruka Onyejeocha,also listed other actions taken by the government to include the development of the legal framework that addresses the issues of child labour, the National Policy and the National Action Plan on the elimination of child labour and other structures, such as the Steering Committees, at the National, State, and the Local Government levels, as well as the community monitoring committees on child labour.
He said:“Despite our progress however, millions of Nigerian children remain vulnerable to exploitation. This digital platform will serve as a centralized hub where cases of child labour can be reported instantly, enabling authorities and stakeholders to take immediate action.”
