Child trafficking: The conspiracy, hypocrisy of major actors

The trafficking of children for the purpose of domestic service (House help), and other forms of exploitative labour is a widespread phenomenon in Nigeria.
Children and many girl child are recruited with promises of well-paid jobs in urban centres, more especially the houses of well to do families within the country.
The news of 26 girls that died on their way to Italy is still fresh in our memories.
Many commentators as well as those fighting against child labour are putting more emphasis on those children hawking along the streets and those working at restaurants and other open places, while pretending to overlook their very own complicity back in their houses.
Of course, there have been overt efforts by the agency, National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons and Other Related matters (NAPTIP) saddled with the task of tackling the menace, yet, anything that the agency has been doing to stem the tide is being silently eroded by the major actors in the country.
This is happening at a time when most agencies and NGOs who take it upon themselves to protect the right of children and girl child issue of child labour, as well as sexual harassment only get tacit support but not practical one from such leaders.
It is such a common sight among the well to do family as very few from either the politicians or those holding high positions in government have no house help back in their domains.
These house help, as they are better known in the Nigerian parlance, are mostly teenagers in their adolescent period. And with little or no opportunity to go to school or sponsored by their parents, they are left with no other option than to be the ones in the kitchen, when the parents are at their working places, wash when the children are in their classes and sometimes carry babies when breastfeeding mothers are in their lecture rooms. Madam, who normally is in charge of this house help and Oga could barely pay attention to the future of the girl since they pay her “salary” and “feed” her.
What will amaze you is when you visit the houses of those that claim to be fighting this menace you will find these type of teenagers serving as house help with reckless abundance.
They are vulnerable as they are mostly sexually abused, raped or even be beaten by either the husband of the woman, or “guys” staying in the house and due to their lack of western as well as absence of exposure they find it difficult to report to anybody.
And even in the rare incidences where some of them managed to talk they do mostly to those that trafficked them which they will either tell them not to tell anyone or redeployed them to another place.
It is not only in households, but equally happens in most universities and other institutions. It is a common sight that wives of so called rich people coming with some teenage girls taking care of their small children from morning till evening or pending when they finish their lectures.
These are the same people going on social media and other conventional media houses claiming that they are fighting forced labour, implying that they didn’t extend the prohibition to their respective homes.
Fighting trafficking which is the sole responsibility of National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons and Other Related matters (NAPTIP) is like a mare barking without a bite, as cases of persecution or even arrest of any persons mostly in Abuja could hardly be seen.
And this is something as glaring as the sunshine. Recently, the management of NAPTIP visited Senate President, Bukola Saraki, where these issues were raised. My question remains that: did the NAPTIP and the legislatures have political will to end this problem?
The agency seems to have put all its energy on the issue of prostitution leaving the serious issue that can lead to the waste of generations.
Causes of these problems are numerous. They include but not limited to poverty, desperation to escape violence, corruption, unemployment, illiteracy and ignorance.
As ubiquitous as the causes are, so the solution. The government needs to find a way on enlightening parents the negative effects to these practices, meting out a serious punishment on the offenders.

Alhassan A. Bala,
Abuja.

 

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