Follow Us on Google
Renewed awareness of children’s rights, dignity and protection have been identified as critical measures to curb child abuse in Nigeria and across Africa, as experts want parents and guardians to draw a clear line between normal household chores and child domestic work.
That formed the focus of discussion by civil society groups and other stakeholders at an event in Lagos to commemorate this year’s Day of the African Child.
The programme, according to the organisers, was to provide protection for the child who cleans, cooks, fetches water, cares for others and keeps the home running.
Organised by a civil society group, Cece Yara Child Advocacy Center, the gathering focused on the theme, “Beyond Household Labour: Protecting the Dignity, Safety and Rights of Every Child.”
Convener of the event, Mrs Bisi Ajayi-Kayode said the group was determined to restore the innocence and childhood of the Nigerian child.
“This programme is to give clarity, capacity building for participants so they can step out to mitigate the plight of child domestic workers and to preserve the lives and destinies of children who are in the bondage of child domestic work,” she added.
Child rights’ advocate and Head of Programmes, Cece Yara Child Advocacy Center, Damilola Adenusi, said it was important to create a safe, child-centred space for survivors of exploitation and encourage more participation in the advocacy.
He said: “We are here today to say ARISE, to create awareness and to recognise those signs, because we cannot just stay indoors and ignore the child outside our own flat suffering and not be attended to.”
The Executive Director, Bimbo Odukoya Foundation, Aderonke Oyelakin, while linking the increase in child exploitation to poverty, called on couples to produce only the number of children they can cater for, so as to avoid the idea of giving the minors to relatives or friends as domestic workers.
Another child rights activist and programme manager of CAPRIGHTs-VP, Ngozi Arinze, led a panel discussion, which included psychologist, Olorunfemi Precious and child protection expert, Azeez Ajifowoke, who identified and demystified the kind of domestic work a child should be involved.
Olorunfemi, who said abuse produces children that become aggressive, highlighted that emotional signs of abuse could be noticed from physical expressions like fear or timidity.
“There are some children that look well-taken care of just to create a picture that everything is actually fine. Some guardians pour negative words on the children, hearing such words at that formative period of their lives takes away their self esteem,” she stated
Ajifowoke noted that when children are noticed to be in an unsafe place, the first duty is to remove them from the location to save them from the traumatic experience.
A survivor and advocate for children rights, Roseline Oguwezi, who noted that child domestic work had harmful effects on children, also wants the governments and non-government stakeholders to amplify the rights, dignity, protection and wellbeing of African children.
The event in commemoration of the Day of the African Child was sponsored by Freedom Fund and funded by a gift from the US Government.
The 2026 Day of the African Child was focused on ensuring universal access to water, sanitation and hygiene for every child in Africa.
