Menace of child labour

Child labour refers to the employment of children in any work that deprives them of their childhood, interferes with their ability to attend regular school.

Child labour is considered exploitative by many international organisations.

Legislation across the world prohibit child. These laws do not consider all work by children as child labour; exceptions include work by child artists, family duties, supervised training, certain categories of work. Those prohibited include selling pure water, carrying heavy goods on the road, metal work, selling groundnut, picking pieces of milk tin, rubber, plastic, among others.

In every society, children are known as future leaders but surprisingly, 95% of the Nigerian children have been in child labour for several decades. It should be noted that child labour is different from child discipline.

There are other Children hawking on the streets are prone to motor accidents, kidnapping and rape, among other dangers.

Child labour is evil and should be condemned. Those involved in child labour shoud retrace their steps. Nigerians should join hands and give the children a better future. It is said if a deed is planted, watered and given enough manure, it will yield a great harvest. Such is the case with children. Whatever you sow in them today can make our world a better and safer place tomorrow.

Hadiza Mohammed Maidugu, Department of Mass Communication, University of Maiduguri

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