By Goldmark Pentho Dansu As the world marks the 2025 World Day Against Child Labour, the International Federation of Women Lawyers (FIDA), ...
By Goldmark Pentho Dansu
As the world marks the 2025 World Day Against Child Labour, the International Federation of Women Lawyers (FIDA), Badagry Branch, has issued a strong call for urgent and coordinated action to tackle the persistent scourge of child labour in Nigeria.
In a statement commemorating the day, Lady Edith Uduji, Chairperson of FIDA Nigeria, Badagry Branch, urged the federal government, civil society groups, private sector actors, and international development partners to work together to enforce existing laws, prosecute offenders, and implement bold national policies that target poverty and social inequality — the root causes of child labour.
“The continued use of children for labour is a national crisis that demands urgent and coordinated action,” Uduji said. “These children are being denied their basic rights — the right to education, the right to protection, and the right to a future.”
She emphasized the need for universal access to quality, barrier-free education; greater public awareness about the dangers and illegality of child labour; and the expansion of social welfare programs to support vulnerable families, many of whom rely on the income their children bring in to survive.
This year’s global theme — “Progress is Clear, But There’s More to Do: Let’s Speed up Efforts” — underscores the strides made so far in curbing child labour, while reinforcing the urgency of accelerating progress.
While acknowledging some improvements, Uduji pointed out that the implementation of child protection laws remains weak, particularly in the informal sector — such as agriculture, street trading, and domestic work — where child labour often goes unchecked and unreported.
Despite Nigeria's ratification of various international treaties and the existence of domestic legislation outlawing child labour, millions of children across the country continue to engage in hazardous and exploitative work, often under harsh and inhumane conditions.
Uduji blamed the persistence of the problem on deep systemic issues — including a chronic shortage of trained labour inspectors, limited institutional capacity in rural areas, cultural norms that normalize child labour, and the lack of birth registration and identity documentation, which leaves many children outside the protection of the law.
“Eliminating child labour is not optional — it is both a legal obligation and a moral imperative,” she declared. “Justice for children must begin with the law — and the law must be enforced.”
She concluded with a reminder of what is at stake: “The future of our nation depends on how well we protect our children today.”
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