Rakiya A.Muhammad
In the bustling Sokoto metropolitan market, the determined figure of 11-year-old Aminu stands out among the chaos. Each day, Aminu struggles under the weight of the wheelbarrow he pushes for a meager N150, a sum essential for his family’s survival. Alongside other children, Aminu labours tirelessly in the blistering heat, each step a testament to his strength and responsibility.
Profiles of Childhood Hardship
Child labour is a stark reality in many parts of Sokoto. The stories range from the hot, dusty fields where young children work the land to the bustling marketplaces where they bear wheelbarrows filled with heavy cargo, and even to the outskirts, where they participate in tire burning, surrounded by the pungent smoke. Children like Mariam, Aminu, Aliyu, Musa, and Mustapha wage a daily battle for survival, navigating harsh realities that would test even the strongest adults.
Aminu hails from a remote community in Sokoto State. His father, a farmer, struggles to make ends meet due to the unpredictable weather and infertile soil. The family sends Aminu, the firstborn of seven siblings, to a nearby market to help out financially, and he spends his days there hauling heavy goods.
The preteen pulls a wheelbarrow filled to the gills in the crowded Sokoto metropolitan market for a meager N150. Every step is a fight, and every load is a symbol of the emotional and physical weight he bears.
“We pedal the barrow for hours in the blistering heat,” he explains. “No matter how much my body hurts, I have to work nonstop to provide for my family.” Then, with a spark in his eyes, Aminu adds, “But one day, I hope to become a teacher. I want to help children like me learn and grow.”
Ten-year-old Mariam lives in one of the rural communities of Sokoto with her three younger siblings and widowed mother. Mariam’s mother is bankrupt and has no other support, so she resorts to hiring her daughter as a housekeeper for a wealthy family in the city.
Mariam’s world is stripped of learning and laughter, her childhood stolen as she endures harsh words and cruel hands from her employers.
For nine-year-old Musa on the outskirts of Sokoto, the air is heavy with the choking haze of burning tyres. Amid the flames, Musa confronts the harsh reality of a stolen childhood, risking his life just to survive.
10-year-old Aliyu, from a rural village in Sokoto State, represents the thousands of children forced into agricultural labour at a young age.
Aliyu rises before the sun to join other children in the field. Traversing the maze of corn and millet with calloused hands and worn eyes, he carries a large sack that encases his hopes.
Root Causes: Poverty, Climate Challenges
These children’s stories cast a harsh spotlight on the struggles their families face and the relentless economic pressures that push them into the world of child labour. Many of these families are trapped in cycles of poverty due to climate-linked crop failures and the absence of rural credit systems that could provide financial support in tough times. In regions like Sokoto, where the majority of livelihoods depend on agriculture, unpredictable weather patterns often lead to crop shortages, leaving families without a stable income. Without access to affordable loans or credit, they are forced to send their children to work, highlighting a systemic issue that requires policy intervention rather than just charitable efforts.
Dreams Amid Hardship
Despite their tender years, these children dream big in the monotony of everyday work, whether they want to become teachers, doctors, or business tycoons. However, their aspirations frequently collide with the unforgiving truth of their situation, prompting inquiries regarding the cost of ambition in a society characterised by exploitation.
Voice of Parents, Guardians
Many parents justify child labour as a necessity: “To overcome the financial difficulties, we put our children to work,” explains Mariam’s mom.
“Since my husband’s death, it has been challenging to make ends meet. Therefore, I thought my daughter should pitch in.”
Similarly, Aliyu’s father says, “Even though I am not satisfied with my child’s work condition, I do not have a choice because of the lack of viable alternatives.” He continues, “the low pay, long working hours, and unsafe work environment are a concern, but what do I do? That’s the situation we find ourselves in.”
Global, National Figures
According to UNICEF Global Estimates 2020, Child labour remains a persistent problem in the world today.
“The latest global estimates indicate that 160 million children – 63 million girls and 97 million boys – were in child labour globally at the beginning of 2020, accounting for almost 1 in 10 of all children worldwide,” it reveals.
“Seventy-nine million children – nearly half of all those in child labour – were in hazardous work that directly endangers their health, safety and moral development.” To put it in perspective, this is roughly equivalent to the entire population of Nigeria, a country with over 200 million inhabitants.
In Nigeria, the National Bureau of Statistics reports show that over 24 million children are in child labour.
The northwest region of the country, which is home to Aliyu, Mariam, Aminu, Musa, and Mustapha, has the highest number of over 6.4 million children in child labour.
Cultural Acceptance, Legal Frameworks
For many locals, child labour blends into the fabric of daily life, barely raising an eyebrow. This deep-rooted acceptance highlights the urgent need for greater public awareness.
A local, Mallam Ibrahim, taken aback that the issue had come up, asked, “What’s wrong with a child working to help the family?”
The International Labour Organisation (ILO) explains: “Children around the world are routinely engaged in paid and unpaid forms of work that are not harmful to them. However, they are classified as child labourers when they are either too young to work or are involved in hazardous activities that may compromise their physical, mental, social, or educational development.”
The ILO Convention No.138 on Minimum Age (C138) “aims at the effective abolition of child labour—work that is hazardous to children’s health, safety, or morals, work that interferes with compulsory education, or for which they are simply too young.”
But child labour has become more common in Sokoto State, according to the findings of civil society organisations such as the Save the Child Initiative and the Network Against Trafficking, Abuse, and Labour.
Abdulganiyu Abubakar, Chief Executive, Save-The-Child Initiative, reveals:
“Some of the sectors where you find children being abused and exploited include the agricultural industry.
You see a lot of children being mobilised in their numbers by either the traditional school teachers, by their caregivers in some instances to go to work in vast farms and plantations, sometimes, these children are taken from remote villages into major towns such as Sokoto, Tureta, Kebbe Dange Shuni, Tangaza, and other neighbouring local government areas even outside Sokoto State.”
He adds, “These exploiters of children capitalise on the fact that the parents of these children cannot take care of them; these children are not in school; they are either out of school or in the street, and when they mobilise them for labour, they reap the fruit of the labour of these children, give a little portion of the amount to the parents and keep a large part of it leaving the children impoverished.”
He notes child labour in households, markets, and other public places.
Child labour abounds despite several laws and mechanisms at the State, national, and international levels that aim to protect children and ensure their rights. Yet, the reality in Sokoto often tells a different story, with officials frequently overlooking violations of these protections, such as C138. This failure of enforcement sharply contrasts with the supposed protections outlined on paper, illustrating the disconnect between law and reality.
Laws, Policy Response
Many saw the November 2021 signing of the Child Protection Bill into law by the Sokoto State government as a significant victory for children’s rights in the state.
Everyone was hoping that the state would take steps to protect children’s rights and well-being, even as the government assured full implementation of the law guaranteeing children’s rights. “The rights of children, including that of education for all children in Sokoto, irrespective of their state of origin, is included in the new law,” it states.
“Violation of any child right in Sokoto State is now an offence punishable under the laws governing the state and will no longer be tolerated.”
Yet, the promise of this law remains unfulfilled, its impact still a distant hope for many children. While the present administration has expressed commitment to the welfare of women and children, many have called for a more concerted effort to tackle the menace.
However, the implementation of the law has left much to be desired. Dr Ahmad Aliyu Sokoto-led administration has expressed commitment to improving the well-being of children in the state.
Sani Dantumi, an expert in child protection, condemns the widespread use of children as labourers.
He stresses that safeguarding children’s rights requires drastic measures, not cosmetic ones.
Ongoing Efforts and Challenges
Abdulganiyu Abubakar, an activist for children’s rights, calls on the government of Sokoto State to establish a platform where civil society organisations, the media, and development partners can meet on an equal footing to brainstorm ways to maintain positive programmes for children.
He recalls there had been moves aimed at improving the living conditions of children, such as the EU-US Spotlight Initiative, which sought to end violence against women and children, particularly girls, with interventions ranging from community awareness, engagement, stakeholders mobilisation, justice sector reform,
“The free education by the state government and the free healthcare for mothers, women, and children under five are also good government initiatives that seek to promote the well-being and development of children,” Abubakar points out, even as he notes challenges surrounding the implementation.
However, he points out CSOs such as Save the Child Initiative, Centre for People Health, Peace, and Progress, and the Life Helpers Initiatives are working with UNICEF in Sokoto State, in collaboration with the State Ministry of Women and Children Affairs and the Arabic and Islamic Education Commission, to improve children’s conditions.
“We ensure that children of school age are in school, those who are on the street are mobilised and provided adequate care, psychosocial support, a second chance education to acquire education, and meaningful livelihood skills,” he discloses.
“Through these interventions, there is a lot of awareness creation; there are a lot of efforts to remove children from the street and ensure children of school-going age are in school; some of these efforts include providing educational support and scholarships.”
However, the Save-the-Child Initiative boss laments the lack of adequate resources to reach all of Sokoto State. “Sokoto State comprises 23 Local Government Areas (LGAs). Unfortunately, every one of these LGAs has similar problems: many children living on the streets, a high percentage of children not in school, and there are still children at the Almajiri Schools who are victims of abuse and exploitation.”
He stresses the need for the government and non-governmental actors to collaborate in providing a long-term solution.
Recommendation, Way Forward
Public policy analyst Hajiya Hadiza Ahmed emphasizes the importance of adhering to the International Labour Organization’s (ILO) guidelines on child labour, specifically Convention No. 138 and Recommendation No. 146.
The document highlights the crucial role of national policies and plans in addressing poverty, creating employment opportunities for adults so that parents don’t have to use their children as labour, ensuring free and mandatory education, providing vocational training, offering social security, facilitating birth registration, and establishing facilities to protect children and teenagers who work.
She notes “specific institutions, such as the Sokoto State Ministry of Women and Children’s Affairs, are responsible for implementing this law. However, without adequate funding and clear accountability measures, progress remains stagnant.”
“Citizens and advocacy groups can play a crucial role by monitoring the enforcement of the Child Protection Law through available metrics, such as the number of children withdrawn from labour and enrolled in school, and by holding officials, including the Children’s Rights Enforcement Officer, accountable for these objectives. Encouraging transparency and regular reporting can also help press for measurable change.”
Hajiya Hadiza believes that stringent execution of the recommendations will effectively combat the problem and offer Mariam, Aminu, Musa, Aliyu, and all other youngsters entangled in the child labour net a new lease on life.
