Child Advocacy Centre, Cece Yara, stakeholders have identified poverty and lack of economic empowerment as factors increasing child labour in the country. The stakeholders also decried poor case reporting, cultural factors, absence of support services, stigmatisation and isolation of victims as major bottlenecks to justice for victims of child labour violations.
The concerns were raised at a stakeholders’ workshop on exploitative child domestic work held in Lagos. The workshop, with the theme “From Report to Justice: Closing the Gaps in Accountability for Abuse and Exploitation of Child Domestic Workers,” was organised by CeCe Yara Child Advocacy Centre. The project is sponsored by Freedom Fund and funded by Gift of the US Government.
Speaking during the workshop, the Convener and Chief Executive Officer, CeCe Yara Child Advocacy Centre, Mrs. Bisi Ajayi-Kayode, said, “Studies by the International Labour Organization, ILO, and the US-based Freedom Fund show that a high proportion of child domestic work is exploitative and violates Nigerian labour and child rights laws. The rock bottom of this programme is accessing justice for survivors of child domestic work. Accessing justice is different from laws and policies. We have the laws, we have the policies in the book, but we don’t want them hanging up as tissue paper. Survivors must reap the benefits of justice”.
Ajayi-Kayode said, “One of our guiding policies is that from case reporting to closure of the case, we give 100% support to the child from case reporting either to our child help line, referral pathways, or walk-ins, provide medical, psychosocial, forensic interview. We get the child’s opinion and get the child reintegrated back into a normal post-abusive basis. Justice delayed is justice denied”.
Child protection expert and lawyer, Barrister Ngozi Arinze, who spoke on “Advancing Timely and Effective Justice for Children,” highlighted the consequences of delayed, withdrawn or unresolved cases affects effective justice for survivors.
Barrister Arinze therefore stressed the need for credible convictions and lawful outcomes. “As we know, reporting on its own does not bring about justice, except from reporting due cause is followed. So we are discussing with various stakeholders within the child protection network on how we can bring justice to survivors. That has to do with timely reporting, proper documentation, and also effective prosecution”.
According to her, many cases suffer setbacks because families are unwilling to proceed, children are traumatised by repeated interviews, or case files are delayed between investigators and prosecutors.
Commenting at the workshop, Deputy Director, Legal, National Human Rights Commission, NHRC, Mrs. Yemisi Akhile, said, “The rights of child domestic workers must be protected. Lack of witnesses, prosecution delays and unprofessional conduct by first responders are factors aiding abuse”.
She said, “Child domestic work is what a lot of people overlook, and the kind of violence and maltreatment that children endure in the course of offering work are under-reported. Some people trivialise it and a lot of families also hide it. She called for stronger collaboration and greater attention to violations involving underage labour”.
