FG restates commitment to fight child labour

The Minister of Labour and Employment,  Chris Ngige has reiterated the Federal Government’s commitment to achieve  alliance 8.7 of the Sustainable Development Goal [SDG]. The alliance 8.7 seeks to eradicate forced labour, modern slavery, human trafficking and secure prohibition and elimination of the worst forms of child labour by the year 2025. Ngige stated this  […]

The Minister of Labour and Employment,  Chris Ngige has reiterated the Federal Government’s commitment to achieve  alliance 8.7 of the Sustainable Development Goal [SDG].

The alliance 8.7 seeks to eradicate forced labour, modern slavery, human trafficking and secure prohibition and elimination of the worst forms of child labour by the year 2025.

Ngige stated this  in Abuja during the commemoration of the World Day against Child Labour 2018 with the theme “Generation Safe and Healthy” and sub theme “Elimination of Child Labour and Protection of young workers.”

The minister explained that child labour is the engagement of child under 18 years of age in any work that deprives them of their childhood and the opportunity to be educated and also hamper their physical and moral development.

He said,  “To build a generation of safe and healthy workers, preparation must begin early with parental and community awareness for young people to be aware of risks and able to advocate on their own behalf, education about work hazards and risks as well as about workers’ rights, need to start in school and continues through vocational training and apprenticeship programmes.”

He emphasized that practical steps must be taken to eliminate the root causes of child labour and ensure that the rights of young workers are protected within the ambits of the law.

Ngige, however, solicited the collaboration of frontline MDAs, workers and employers union, civil society organizations, (NGOs) and other stakeholders to create time bound child labour programmes and projects and make budgetary provision for them in line with their various mandates as encapsulated in the national action plan (NAP) for elimination of child labour and take such programmes to the communities.

Speaking earlier, the Permanent Secretary Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment Ibukun Odusote said that the day was an avenue to create awareness and rub minds on the more effective ways to tackle the menace of child labour and improve the safety and health of young workers in our society.

In their separate remarks, the representative of the International Labour Organization (ILO) Agatha Kolawole, Nigeria Employers Consultative Association (NECA) Adenike Adebayo Ajala, Nigeria  Labour  Congress (NLC) Maureen Onyia, Trade Union Congress (TUC) Hassan Anka, and National Agency For Prohibition Of Trafficking In Person (NAPTIP) pledged to  support and collaborate  with the Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment to eliminate child labour and protect children within the working age.