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By Damiete Braide
A coalition of child protection advocates, led by the Centre for the Advancement and Protection of the Rights of Vulnerable People (CAPRIGHTS-VP), has intensified public awareness efforts against the exploitation and maltreatment of child domestic workers with a sensitisation road walk across the Egbeda/Akonwonjo axis of Alimosho Local Government Area.
The advocacy campaign, held in Egbeda, Lagos, brought together stakeholders, civil society groups, community women, and members of the Child Protection Network in a coordinated call to end exploitative child domestic labour and all forms of abuse against children. The initiative was carried out in collaboration with Cere Yara Child Advocacy Centre, and supported by The Freedom Fund with funding from the United States Department of State.
Organisers said the road walk formed part of the ongoing Protect Child Domestic Workers from Maltreatment (PCDW) Project, designed to strengthen community-level child protection structures and reduce vulnerability among at-risk families in Alimosho communities.
Participants marched through major streets carrying placards and chanting advocacy messages that emphasised children’s rights to education, dignity, and safety. Residents, traders, transport workers, and parents were sensitised on the hidden realities faced by child domestic workers, including neglect, isolation, denial of schooling, emotional trauma, and physical abuse.
Speaking during the event, CAPRIGHTS-VP Project Manager, Mrs. Ngozi Mirian Arinze, said the walk was organised to raise public consciousness about the plight of child domestic workers and to reinforce collective responsibility for child protection.
“Today’s walk is about sensitising the public on the ills that child domestic workers face, including maltreatment and exploitation. Every child counts and every child’s life matters, whether that child is yours or not,” she said. “These children are first human beings and, because they are children, they are entitled to special rights under the law — the right to life, family care, and education.”
Arinze noted that many child domestic workers are denied access to school or attend irregularly due to excessive workloads, adding that some are subjected to long working hours and various forms of abuse. She identified poverty as a key driver of child domestic labour, urging parents to prioritise their children’s best interests and seek available support rather than sending them away to work in other households.
“We are telling vulnerable families that this project makes provision for them. If we address poverty and family vulnerability, we can reduce the incidence of child domestic work,” she said. “Parents must ask themselves: is it in the best interest of a child to be sent to a place where exploitation is likely?”
She also appealed to employers of domestic workers to treat children under their care as they would their own, stressing that proper upbringing benefits both the child and society. Arinze urged community members to report suspected abuse, assuring that confidentiality would be maintained through available reporting channels.
Programme Manager at Cere Yara Child Advocacy Centre, Damilola Adenusi, described exploitative child domestic work as a form of modern slavery affecting mostly young girls. She said research indicates that Alimosho Local Government Area records a high incidence of child abuse cases, many involving domestic workers.
“This road walk is to create awareness in this community about exploitative child domestic work. It is wrong to bring little children from different parts of the country to work in homes or businesses without access to education and proper care,” she said. “Children have a right to schooling and a decent standard of living.”
Adenusi urged neighbours, religious groups, and community members to report suspected cases through toll-free lines or other reporting platforms, noting that trained responders are available in major Nigerian languages to ensure rapid intervention and child rescue where necessary.
She added that reported children receive comprehensive support services including shelter, rehabilitation, and psychosocial care to aid recovery and reintegration.
Also speaking, Ezekiel Keji Oluwaseun of the Child Protection Network advised parents struggling to care for their children due to economic hardship to seek assistance from government social welfare structures rather than resorting to child labour or trafficking.
“Parents who have many children and lack the resources to care for them should approach the Ministry of Youth and Social Development through the Child Protection Network. The agency can provide support and ensure the child’s safety, instead of exposing them to abuse,” he said.
Oluwaseun reiterated that the network’s mandate is to protect children from physical, sexual, emotional, and domestic abuse while safeguarding their dignity and development.
During the walk, organisers also promoted safe reporting channels, including the toll-free child protection line 0800-800-8001 and the Talkam App, encouraging residents to “see something and say something” when they observe suspected abuse.
The advocacy procession ended with a renewed commitment from partners and community members to sustain awareness campaigns and strengthen protection systems across Alimosho communities. Organisers said the growing coalition reflects a united movement determined to ensure that no child domestic worker remains unseen, unheard, or unprotected in Lagos State.
They emphasised that safeguarding children requires shared responsibility among government, civil society, families, and communities, adding that sustained public engagement would continue until exploitation of child domestic workers is eliminated.
