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Child Labour In Nigeria, Challenges And Prospects
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To seek and to attain what is noblest in
human nature, to place the highest value on and respect the dignity of
human life and finally to purse honest endeavours and to take pride in
personal advance only through hardwork. Child labour is a form of
selling goods along the road from one place to the other (Umar 2009). It
also extends to be an act of canvassing for sale items carried by a
labour along the street, from house to house or in the public space
(Ikechebebu et al 2008: 114). Child labour is a veritable means of
socialization in the western part of Nigeria and it is widely practiced
despite the attendant moral and physical dangers for children (Ebigbo
2003:103). In Nigeria, child labour is done mostly by female children.
Children hawk different items, ranging from food to different types of
non-edible items. Some children have a particular spot where they stay
to sell their wares. Some move from place to place along the street,
while others go from door to door in residential area (Grootaert and
Kanbur 1995:4). Child labourers sell tray of goods on their head by
moving from one street to the other. The labour that sell similar goods
walk different directions while those that sell goods that complement
each other like food and drinks walk in the same direction. The youngest
among these children are followed by an adult child who also sell
different things in order to teach the younger ones how to calculate or
protect the child against any occurrence. These child labourers shout on
top of their voices to announce what they are selling in the community
so as to attract the attention of intending buyer of their arrival.
Child
labour is rampant among children in Ifo Local Government, Ogun State,
Nigeria as was observed personally by the researcher. According to the
local community leader, child labour has been in existence there for a
very long time. As the major occupation is farming and trading, during
the time of trade by barter, when a farmer’s harvests crop, he takes
from the harvested crops for food consumption. The remaining has to be
traded within the neighbourhood by the wives and children, so that they
will get the money needed to purchase some other things needed in the
household. Due to structural change (discovery of cruel oil), currently
many people are moving out of the agricultural sector and migrating to
the city for a decent job. There is not much attention for farming any
longer. As a consequence, most households nowadays buy things for the
children to hawk around the neighbourhood with their mother. By so
doing, children are taught how to trade for future purposes (personal
observation)
1.2 Statement of the Problem
The number of children
engaged in child labour has been increasing at an alarming rate in the
society. It is also pertinent to note that observation and experience
have showed that the average and well to do individuals look forward to
see these labourers to buy things they want to buy or need either
internationally or as a result of lack of alternative seller. It is in
the light of this therefore, that the researcher intends to know much
more about the labourers and why members of the general public prefer to
buy their immediate needs from them despite the various government
effort to eradicate the immoral practice even though the parents and
guardians of the labourers seem to turn blind eyes and deaf ears to both
its social and economic implications.
The researcher is particularly
interested in identifying the unalterable group of individually
perceive their chosen system of trade, possible reaction from some of
the force and aggrieved labourers. On the whole, the researcher is very
much interested in knowing the kinds of steps taken by the government
and the factors that led to their occurrence.
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ABSRACT - [ Total Page(s): 1 ]The research is concerned with Child Labour in Nigeria, Challenges and Prospects. The most important aspect of this study is to investigate to what extent labour among children affect their moral conducts and social relationship with others because no individual person leaves in isolation, the research also aims at determining the socio-economic effects of labour in order to bring them to the notice of the people and offer possible and valuable suggestions so as to find a lasting solution to the ... Continue reading---
