Children

The number of vulnerable children in Nigeria is growing and is expected to rise to 10 million by 2010. However the news has not settled well with everyone, and has left others in fear. The Nigerian government issued a census survey census of “vulnerable children”, earlier this month which aims to take a closer look into the lives of children in poverty. However the survey upset many families, who fear they will be looked at unfavorable, or face reprimand child labor. Children who are born into impoverished families are often sent to work by their parents or guardians, at very young ages -some only toddlers. (BBC)

“Any child you see who is vulnerable is a direct reflection of the situation of his parents”

The Nigerian government is looking deeper into the problem of poverty and hopes this will give them better tools to fight poverty. While many families feel forced into sending children to work, due to their extreme economic hardships, many others see the use of child labor as no big deal.

A 2003 FOS/ILO National Child Labour Survey estimated that there are some 15 million children engaged in child labor in Nigeria. Children in Nigeria are forced to work as domestic laborers, become street hawkers, work in quarries and in the cocoa fields. In addition child trafficking, including sex trafficking, within Nigeria and across borders continues to remain a large scale problem.

The problem with the forced labor of children is that it in turns creates a vicious cycle of the same poverty that parents and families are seeking to escape. Children are receive little to no school and thus are These The use of child labor can therefore cause, or increase the socio-economic problems that forced them into work as a child laborer. Children regardless of age and socio-economic background have a say in their future, and should never be forced to endure labor in their youth, as should no child ever be denied an education. The denial of education, only denies children a key to their future, an opportunity to prosper. It is clear that the Nigerian government needs to look deeply and consider multiple sustainable options for those communities grappling with endless poverty to ensure the delivery of children from the grip of poverty.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, February 26th, 2008 at 9:56 pm and is filed under Uncategorized, Blogroll, Children, Child Labor, Education, Poverty. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.