World Day Against Child Labour 2025

Theme: Progress is clear, but there’s more to do: Let’s speed up efforts!

FIDA Nigeria Demands Bold Action to End Child Labour: Our Children Are Not Workers. They Are Human Beings — And They Deserve Better.

Today, as the world observes the World Day Against Child Labour, FIDA Nigeria speaks not just as lawyers, but as mothers, daughters, sisters, and neighbours compelled to raise our voices for the children who cannot speak for themselves.

Too many Nigerian children are still being robbed of their childhood. Some are forced into homes they don’t belong to, made to scrub floors, sell goods on the streets, carry loads too heavy for their tiny frames. They are denied education, safety, and love. And all of this is happening whilst we all look away, or worse still, justify it as tradition, survival, or “normal.”

We cannot keep calling all of these wrongs children learning skills. It is abuse, neglect, violence, cruelty, and inhumane, degrading treatment being meted out to children on a daily basis; it is Child Labour.

Take the case of Bashariya, a 14-year-old girl displaced by armed conflict in Zamfara, forced to live in a camp in Sokoto. She was taken to Abuja to work as a maid by someone who should have protected her. Instead, she was beaten, starved, and burned with fire. Let that sink in: a child, bathed with fire. Today, she is back in the camp, scared, scarred, and silenced.

And yet, we have laws and policies. But sadly, we need better enforcement and accountability. We must be outraged by the ills done to children learning skills, and muster the necessary willpower for quick action.
FIDA Nigeria is calling for more than promises. We are demanding change:

• Immediate justice for Bashariya and every child like her
• Coordinated efforts between social services, law enforcement, and the justice system to stop child trafficking and labor
• Stronger safety nets to lift families out of poverty and reduce dependence on child income
• Massive community sensitization to shift mindsets and reject the normalization of child exploitation
• Full accountability for those who use power and privilege to exploit the vulnerable and voiceless
• Accessible, child-friendly reporting and rescue systems in every state

This Is No Longer About Statistics. It’s About Our Humanity.
Every child is someone’s daughter, someone’s son. Every child deserves a safe home, a good school, and a chance to dream. What future are we building if we allow our children to be brutalized and discarded? If we fail to protect the most vulnerable, what does that say about who we are as a nation?

We can no longer afford to be silent. We must be louder than the excuses. Braver than the fear. Firmer than the culture that permits this pain.

FIDA Nigeria is committed to standing in the gap, using the law, our voices, and our hearts to fight for every child. But we cannot do it alone.
We call on all Nigerians — government leaders, communities, religious institutions, the private sector, and every person of conscience — to rise and protect our children. Not tomorrow. Today is the right time.

Because no child should suffer in silence.
Because justice delayed is childhood stolen.

Let’s work together to stop Child Labour and protect our children so they can enjoy their childhood and grow up to be responsible adults.

Signed

Eliana Martins
Country Vice President
FIDA Nigeria

Chineze Obianyo
National Publicity Secretary
FIDA Nigeria