Child Labour: An Impediment to the Total Development of the Nigerian Child

Abstract

The arrival of a child into Nigerian communities encapsulates happiness
and celebration. In spite of the elaborate celebration that marks the
birth, its survival and development are threatened by some cultural
practices and activities. Nevertheless, one of the fundamental global
problems facing Nigeria today is the fact that incidences of children who
work outside the family to earn a living or to support their families are
increasing on daily bases. In Nigeria, most especially in the urban areas,
children of between the ages of five and fourteen are seen working. The
situation of most Nigerian children remains critical due to their socioeconomic,
cultural and developmental circumstances. Children are
compelled by circumstances beyond their control to contribute to family
income. In the long run, working children are disadvantaged in several
ways due to their involvement in all sorts of hazardous works which
affect their health and developmental process. In addition, sending
children to hawk in the streets is a negation of the rights of children as
guaranteed by the Child Rights Act (2003). It is within this purview that
hawking (a form of child abuse) is examined. This article considers the
consequences of hawking on the Nigerian child and proffers
recommendations to ameliorate its menace in the country. One of the
fundamental global problems facing Nigeria is the occurrences of children
who work outside the family to augment the family income and other
efforts. The objective of this study is to find out whether children engage
in hawking in Suleja, Tafa and Gurara local government areas in Niger
State, Nigeria. In most urban centres in Nigeria, children between the
ages of five and fourteen years are seen hawking. The situation of most
children remains critical due to their all round circumstances. They are
forced by forces beyond their control to contribute to family income. In
the end, this group of children is disadvantaged in several ways due their involvement in hazardous works which affect their health and
developmental growth process. The population of the study is childhawkers
who were purposively selected from Suleja, Tafa and Gurara
local government areas due to their proximity to Abuja, the Federal
Capital City of Nigeria. The sample size is one hundred and forty (140)
child-hawkers purposively selected on availability. Direct interview and
observation were used to elicit data from the child-hawkers and
simple frequencies and tables were used to present the findings.
The results showed that a greater proportion (55%) of the child
hawkers combined hawking with schooling. Furthermore, majority
(72.9%) of the respondents agreed to exposure to risk of being
hit by motorcars or motorcycles as the major hazard of hawking
on the various locations of the study. The article recommends
strict enhancement and respect of the rights of children as
enshrined in the CRA while low income parents should be
empowered.