Day Against Child Labour: FIDA Ondo Alongside Other Stakeholders Advocate Strengthening Of Social Protection System For Children

By OLUFISOYE ADENITAN

As the world celebrates International day against child labour with the theme ‘Universal social protection to end child labour’, Stakeholders have called for concerted efforts to improve social protection system for children.

According to United Nations, over 160 million children are still being used for labour, some as young as 5yrs.

Some stakeholders who spoke with Positive FM in Akure Ondo state were of the view that the figure was still high and worrisome hence the need for government to strengthen the social protection system to fight poverty, vulnerability and prevent child labour.

One of the stakeholders, the chairperson of the International Federation of Women Lawyers, FIDA, Ondo State, Mrs Jumoke Ogunjebi opined that eradication of child labour required a systemic approach and effective policies to strengthen the education system and also guarantee a decent workplace for parents and caregivers to address the conditions that drive child labour.

Mrs Ogunjebi explained that laws had been put in place by the Ondo state government to protect children against being used for labour.

Similarly, Mrs Folasade Bamigboye of the Kids &Teens Resource Centre Akure emphasized that child protection against labour should be taken seriously by the government to reduce the increasing criminal activities some children were regularly exposed to even at a tender age.

Mrs Bamigboye submitted that the government needed to ensure the implementation of policies and programmes aimed at fighting child labour in the country.