2021: A Renewed Hope For Elimination Of Child Labour

In 2020, the COVID- 19 crisis pushed millions of vulnerable children into child labour. This was as a result of parents losing their jobs thereby increasing poverty.
Already, according to reports, around the world, there are estimated 152 million children in child labour, 72 million of which are in hazardous work.
Consequently, International Labour Organisation  (ILO) last year focused on the impact of the crisis on child labour. The COVID-19 pandemic had resulted into economic and labour market shock, having a huge impact in people’s lives and livelihoods. Unfortunately, children suffered the most.
In 2021,ILO will lead in the elimination of child labour in the world as declared by United Nations. This year, collective step up efforts by the organisation and other groups will see to the urgent end of child labour once and for all.
ILO in collaboration with the Alliance 8.7 global partnership, seek to encourage legislative and practical actions to eradicate child labour worldwide. This in a way is to urge governments to work towards achieving Target 8.7 of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Target 8.7 calls for the immediate measures to end forced labour, modern slavery and human trafficking while also eliminating the worst form of child labour, including child soldiers and by 2025 ending child labour in all forms.
The 12 month campaign will also prepare the ground for the fifth Global Conference on Child Labour ( VGC) in 2022, which will welcome additional commitments towards ending child labour in all forms by 2025 and forced labour, human trafficking and human slavery by 2030.
However, as countries around the world continue to push to fulfill their pledge to eradicate child labour by 2025, ILO and UNICEF had proposed some recommendations to achieve this.
They include more comprehensive social protections, easier access to credit  for poor households: the promotion of decent work for adults, measures to get children back into school, including free schooling  and more resources for labour inspections and law enforcement.
Here in Nigeria, ILO in collaboration with the Nigeria Ministry of Labour and Employment had organised a five Day training workshop for journalists in Abuja, November, last year.
This was aimed at establishing strong link between media personnel at the states implementing partners and that of the media professionals, to have a better understanding of the main concepts and conventions on child labour.
Child labour in Nigeria is the employment of children under the age of 18 in a manner that restricts or prevents them from basic education and development.
Street children work as porters, scavengers, growing number of them in begging. These children also work in agriculture and domestic service as, vendors, apprentice mechanics, carpenters, vulcanisers etc. According to reports, commercial sexual exploitation of children, especially girls is occurring in some Nigerian cities including Port Harcourt and Lagos.

By: Ibinabo Ogolo