L-R: Damilola Adenusi – Head of Programs; Cece Yara Child Advocacy Center, Bar Ngozi Arinze – Lawyer, Child Advocate and Program Manager; Caprights -VP Chika Nwabeke – Program Advisor; Freedom Fund, Bisi Ajayi-Kayode – CEO; Cece Yara Child Advocacy Center.
Lack of case reporting, cultural factors, absence of support services, stigmatisation and isolation of victims have been identified as major bottlenecks to justice for victims of child labour violations in Lagos State.
Discussants stated this at a stakeholders’ workshop aimed at addressing exploitative child domestic work in the state.
The workshop, themed “From Report to Justice: Closing the Gaps in Accountability for Abuse and Exploitation of Child Domestic Workers,” was organised by the non-governmental organisation, CeCe Yara Child Advocacy Centre, and held in Alausa, Ikeja.
Deputy Director, Legal, at the National Human Rights Commission, NHRC, Mrs. Yemisi Akhile, said the rights of child domestic workers must be protected, noting that lack of witnesses to testify, prosecution delays and unprofessional conduct by first responders are major factors aiding the abuse of minors.
“Child domestic work is what a lot of people overlook, and the kind of violence and maltreatment that children endure in the course of offering work are under-reported. Some people trivialise it and a lot of families also hide it,” she said.
The child rights prosecutor called for more collaborative efforts and attention to underage labour violations.
Child protection expert and lawyer, Mrs. Ngozi Arinze, who spoke on “Advancing Timely and Effective Justice for Children,” highlighted the consequences of delayed, withdrawn or unresolved cases and the importance of credible convictions and lawful outcomes.
Arinze said reporting and documentation are key to guarding against recurring cases of underage workers being forced into inappropriate domestic chores, adding that outcomes of most cases are hindered due to families’ unwillingness to proceed, children becoming traumatised from repeated interviews, or case files being delayed between investigators and prosecutors.
“We are discussing how to close the gap between reporting and justice. As we know, reporting on its own does not bring about justice. Stakeholders are here discussing how we can bring justice to survivors through reporting, proper documentation and effective prosecution,” she said.
Convener of the event and Chief Executive Officer of CeCe Yara Child Advocacy Centre, Mrs. Bisi Ajayi-Kayode, said studies by reputable organisations such as the International Labour Organization, ILO, and the United States-based civil society organisation, Freedom Fund, show that a very high proportion of child domestic work is exploitative and violates Nigerian labour and child rights laws.
According to her, accessing justice goes beyond laws and policies.
“Accessing justice is different from laws and policies. One of our guiding principles is from reporting to closure of the case, we give 100 per cent support for the child, providing medical, psycho-social, forensic interview, we get the child’s statement and restore the child to a normal base,” she said.
Other speakers, including the Nigeria Programme Advisor for Freedom Fund, the civil society organisation sponsoring the campaign with funding from the US Government, Mrs. Chika Nwabike, noted that all hands must be on deck to ensure that all child labour violations go through the full process from reporting to protection and justice for victims.
