Nigeria

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Challenge

Child labour by state, % of children

Source: MICS 2016/17

More than half of Nigerian children aged 5 to 17 (50.8%) are involved in child labour, although the issue varies significantly by region. The prevalence of child labour is about 17% in Lagos, but closer to 71% in Kebbi. Children in rural areas are nearly twice as likely to be in child labour than children in urban areas (59.1% versus 33.4%). About 85% of working children aged 5 to 14 are involved in the agricultural sector, mostly working for family businesses. Children from wealthier households are less likely to be involved in child labour. The prevalence of child labour among the poorest quintile is more than double than that of the richest. On average, children aged 5 to 14 work more than 30 hours a week. This has obvious consequences on their ability to get an education—of those in child labour, 56.9% do not attend school.

Nigeria is a source, transit and destination country for child trafficking. The FOS/ILO National Child Labour Survey, completed in 2003, indicates that children in child labour are at particular risk of being trafficked internally and externally for domestic and forced labour, prostitution, entertainment, pornography, armed conflict, and sometimes ritual killings. However, accurate and up-to-date figures are difficult to obtain. Within Africa, Nigeria is the largest single source of trafficked women to Europe and the Middle East.

Child labour by wealth quintile

Source: MICS 2016/17

Milestones

2000

Nigeria signs, and later ratifies, the Palermo Protocol on Trafficking in Persons. The country commits to taking measures against transnational organized crime

2003

Nigeria adopts the Child Rights Act, which imposes specific duties and obligations on the government, parents, and organizations and bodies related to the well-being of children. The National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Personsis created by the Trafficking in Persons (Prohibition) Enforcement and Administration Act of 2003.

2013

Nigeria adopts its first National Policy on Child Labour and National Plan of Action for the Elimination of the Worst Forms of Child Labour,both products of a consultative process among stakeholders engaged in activities geared toward eliminating the worst forms of child labour in the country. The Hazardous Child Labour Listis developed and validated.

2015

Nigeria enacts the amended Trafficking in Persons (Prohibition) Enforcement and Administration Act. As a result of new trends in trafficking in persons and the need to strengthen the institutional framework, the 2003 Act is repealed. The country adopts the National Policy on Migration. The policy implementation plan provides a legal framework for monitoring and regulating internal and international migration, as well as the collection and dissemination of migration data by relevant stakeholders.

Priorities

  • Ensure national compliance with existing codes of conduct and standards of procedures. The National Policy on Child Labour and the National Action Plan on the Elimination of Child Labour must be reviewed and adapted, and national codes of conduct and standards of procedures must be reviewed or developed. Child labour data should be collected and regularly updated. Supply chains should be monitored regarding child labour, and products should be certified.
  • Strengthen child labour prevention, withdrawal, and rehabilitation mechanisms. Livelihood supports—an alternative to the income from child labour—should be provided for parents of victims of child labour. Educational support services and life skills and vocational training should be provided to children involved in or at risk of child labour. The capacity of the Child Labour Unit as well as labour inspectors should be strengthened.
  • Develop effective institutional arrangements for awareness-raising and mass mobilization against child labour. Workers and employers should be jointly sensitized about child labour in supply chains and supported through the development of targeted information materials. Steering committees should be established at the levels of local governments and communities, and referral centers for case management should be created.
  • Strengthen policy, coordination, and cooperation structures among state and non-state actors at all levels on regular and irregular migration. Normative guidance is required to advance the implementation of global policy instruments by Member States. Coordination structures at the federal and state levels must be strengthened to prevent trafficking, protect victims, and provide sustainable rehabilitation and reintegration support.
  • Provide enhanced victim-centered and gender-sensitive rehabilitation and reintegration support to victims of trafficking and other vulnerable returnees. The capacity of relevant stakeholders must be strengthened to provide comprehensive assistance and care at all levels. The coordination of services and referral mechanisms to assist victims of trafficking and other returnees should be improved.
  • Enhance the legal and criminal justice response for preventing and combating trafficking in persons. The capacity of judges, prosecutors, law enforcement agents, border guards, and front-line officers on investigation, prosecution, adjudication, and victim and witness protection must be reinforced. Regional and international cooperation on mutual legal assistance and other relevant procedures should be facilitated.
  • Enable migrants, potential migrants, and the community to make safe and informed knowledge-based decisions on migration. Awareness-raising efforts should be implemented at the grassroots level to prevent trafficking and promote safe and regular migration pathways. The evidence base on migration and trafficking should be enhanced.
  • Improve social safety nets in conflict and disaster-affected communities. To provide more effective social protection to vulnerable populations, the school-feeding programme should be extended to camp schools. Other social protection mechanisms should be promoted.
  • Enhance community mediation and peacebuilding efforts. The capacity of peacebuilding structures in the relevant local government areas should be strengthened. Children associated with armed forces and armed groups should be de-radicalized and reintegrated.
  • Strengthen public-private partnerships to rebuild community infrastructure. Collective efforts should be undertaken to revive community life in conflict-affected areas and provide basic infrastructure, including water, roads, markets, and power supply.
  • Increase collaboration with major counter-terrorism, conflict, humanitarian and disaster stakeholders. Addressing the root causes of child labour and trafficking requires the engagement of a wide range of actors, in order to ensure the holistic provision of services.

Progress

Child labour

  • The Ministry of Labour developed and produced a Jingle on the evils and ills of Child Labour and the need for its elimination in the country during the reporting period of June 2019- May 2020.
  • 18 victims of trafficking were supported with vocational/ economic life skills and starter kits at the household level by the International Organization on Migration (IOM) during the reporting period of June 2019- May 2020.
  • The Ministry of Women Affairs’ Child Development Department and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) at the Federal and State levels and other stakeholders in 2019 provided medical care kits, economic empowerment and training on Gender-Based Violence (GBV) and Sexual Exploitation and Abuse (SEA) where over 457,353 vulnerable women and children became aware of their; dignity, health needs and strategies for discerning/avoiding sexual exploitation tendencies and violence.

Human trafficking

  • In 2019, the United Nations Fund for Population Activities (UNFPA) supported the Federal and affected State Ministries of Women Affairs in partnership with the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) and affected State Emergency Management Agencies (SEMA) to reach out to flood victims with over 5700 relief items for women girls and pregnant women, including dignity kits and sleeping mats in temporary locations and local wrappers for the women in at least 5 states.
  • In 2019, the Ministry of Labour strengthened the inspection system by recruiting additional staff and bringing the total number of Labour Officers to 1,415 and Factory Officers to 724. Thereby increasing the number of Labour Inspections and Child Labour specific inspections nationwide. Out of these inspections, a total of 3,937 Child Labour violations were detected with 1,263 withdrawn from Child Labour and 1,494 children and their families empowered.

Migration

Improved policy coordination and cooperation structures amongst state and non-state actors in Nigeria and the region, as well as harness positive contributions of migration to development.

  • Policy actions are developed to support the Implementation of the Global Compact for safe, orderly and regular migration
  • Coordination structures at federal, state and LGA levels are strengthened to provide sustainable rehabilitation and reintegration support

State and non-state actors provide enhanced victim-centered and gender-sensitive rehabilitation and reintegration support to victims of Trafficking and other vulnerable returnees exposed to violence exploitation and abuse.

  • The capacity of stakeholders strengthened to provide comprehensive assistance at all care levels: Provided trauma healing sessions for returnees to enable them get back on track; conducted at least 4 trainings and linked returnees to the federal government

Migrants, potential migrants, and the larger community are able to make safe and informed knowledge-based decisions on migration.

  • Awareness raising efforts are implemented at the grassroots level and enhanced evidence-based data on migration, Trafficking in Persons (TiP) and Smuggling of Migrants (SoM), is available to guide future intervention efforts

Humanitarian and Conflict Setting

Social Safety nets in conflicts and disaster affected communities enhanced.

  • Increased awareness on human trafficking, child labour and abuse in 25 endemic local government areas
  • Basic school enrollment and retention strengthened in 25 endemic local government areas
  • Livelihood skills training initiatives cascading actions to financial literacy, vocational and economic life skills: Conducted at least four trainings and linked returnees to the federal government AGSMEIS program for funding to start up their business.

Community mediation and peace-building process enhanced

  • In 50 conflict affected local government areas, the capacity of the peace – building structures are strengthened:
  • Children associated with Armed Forces and Armed Groups (CAAFAG) in 50 conflict affected local government areas de-radicalized and reintegrated

Supply Chain

National Compliance to existing codes of conduct and standard of procedures.

  • Child Labour mainstreamed into national codes of conduct and standard of procedures
  • Adoption of a revised Labour Act which mainstreams gender and child labour
  • Situational analysis of supply chain and stakeholders’ mapping conducted
  • Certification of products from cocoa and mining supply chains for compliance with international standards in the elimination of child labour, forced labour, human trafficking and modern-day slavery
  • Monitoring framework on the elimination child labour in supply chains is strengthened
  • The capacity of stakeholders strengthened to respond to the elimination of child labour in supply chains
  • Holding a meeting of the project advisory committee strategic meeting
  • Meeting of the national steering committee on the elimination of child labour and presentation of ACCEL Africa update

Alternative livelihood support to parents of victims of child labour, forced labour, human trafficking and modern-day slavery provided (inclusive of vulnerable persons)

  • Capacity of Child Labour Unit and Labour Inspectors in the areas of identification and withdrawal of child labour victims
  • Support the adoption of NAP at the state level in Nigeria (Priority will be on the project states)
  •  Set up Regional Action Plan (RAP) on the elimination of child labour

Building Effective institutional arrangement for awareness creation and mass mobilization against Child Labour, Forced Labour, Human Trafficking and Modern Slavery

  • Referral Center established by building an Alliance 8.7 thematic area Information Management Portal using Case Management Approach

Next Steps

  • Lobby and courtesy visits to members of FEC to adopt the revised National Policy on Child Labour and National Action Plan for the Elimination of Child Labour (2021-2025)

  • Lobby of National Assembly to ensure the passage of Labour Standards Bills.

  • Development and implementation of a Child Reporting Template for Employers by December 2021

  • Development and implementation of the Child Labour Code of Conduct by Employers by December 2021

  • Formation of groups of Children to advocate for the elimination of Child Labour by December 2021.

  • Capacity building of Child Labour Unit and Child Labour Desk Officers in all the States of the federation including the FCT by September, 2021

Resources

Updates

  • 17 Jul 2019
    family work

    Accelerating action to end forced labour, human trafficking, modern slavery and child labour; experiences from Alliance 8.7 pathfinder countries Th..

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  • 17 Jul 2019
    family work

    In the margins of the High Level Political Forum, the Alliance 8.7 Global Coordinating Group held their 5th meeting at the Westin Hotel in New York. ..

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  • 14 May 2019
    family work

    The Second Global Meeting of the Action Group on Supply Chains was held in Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire on 14-15 May, 2019 gathering over 140 participants...

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  • 09 May 2019
    family work

    The National Consultation workshop for Alliance 8.7 was held in Abuja, Nigeria on 9th May 2019. The Consultation was launched by the Vice President of..

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“Addressing child labour, forced labour and human trafficking are key challenges in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals. This is a collective responsibility by all stakeholders, which shows the importance of Alliance 8.7. Our children should be in school and not at work.”

Mr. William Alo, representative of the Minister of Labour and Employment
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Nigeria