CHAPTER ONE 

General Background of the Study.

 Child Labor remains a serious problem in the world today. According to recent estimates, 218 million children between ages 5 to 17 worldwide are child laours. This excludes the activities of children 12 years and above who are working only a few hours a day in permitted light work and the activities of children are involved in the worst forms of child Labour. The largest number of child laborers’ roughly 122 million aged 14 and below is in the Asia-Pacific Region (ILO, 2006:1).

Child Labour remains a major challenge for the Nigerian society. According to the Nation Living Standard Survey (NLSS) 2003/04,it was estimated that there were 1.83 million working children in Nigeria. Based on the NLSS, it can be estimated that close to a million of working of the children aged between 5 and 14 years were categorized as child laborers’. According to The Rising Nigeria "Out of an estimated 3.6 million child laborers’, 32,000 children are involved in stone quarries,72,000  are working in restaurant/tea shops, 46,000 are serving as child porters, 17,000 in mechanical works and 60,000 are employed in brick kiln, “from CONCERN Nigeria (The Rising Nigeria, 4th July, 2006).

 Poverty is the main cause of child Labour around developing countries. When a family is poor everyone has to work, even extra contribution help. But many children work because of the lack of their opportunities. School might be unavailable, independent, or just too expensive (UNDP, 1993).

 Nigeria is one of the poorest countries in the world where poverty is widespread in Nigeria. According to Nigeria Living Standard Surveys (NLSS), in 2003-04,31percent of population was poor in Nigeria. Out pf total population according to 2001 census, 24.2 percent children age group 0-4, 28.3 percent age group 5-9, 26.2 percent age group 10-14 and 21.0 percent age group from 15-19. Education is one of the fundamental means for all alleviating poverty and bringing improvement in the standard of living through different socio-economic activities. In the context of Nigeria, since the illiteracy rate was 45.9 percent in2001, the resolution implies that illiteracy rate should be reduced drastically to meet the target endorsed by national and international authorities (CBS, 2003).   

According to the census 2001, out of the total population of 24.5 million, 52 percent consist of children below 18 years of age. Lack of fertile and irrigated land, illiterate large families, torment discrimination, present conflict problems and deprivation of education are some factors leading children and parents to urban areas in pursuit of economic opportunities and safer surroundings.

 In brick kiln sector, as in others, children work for a meager hard earned sum as parents prefer their children to work at a tender age rather than enrolling them in expensive private schools or education them in government schools (CONCERN, 2005).

Childrenlabour is not a new phenomenon in a agriculturally dominant country like a peak. It is part of the feudal economy; children have played a significant role in the family subsistence. Fetching water, collecting firewood, grazing cattle, carrying after children and supporting parents in the fields are the most common works that children in the rural areas perform. In addition, mainly a family bread winner working as domestic servants in the homes of village, merchants. The migration of children to urban areas has been tremendously. Increasing these days and this has led to the increase of child Labor I the urban areas. Industries like carpet, garments, and confectioners. Brick kilns and stone quarry are employing many children as they are meek and uncomplaining and a cheap source of Labour.The ratio of household and domestic child Labor in Chimanda is street children: mainly beggars, rag pickers, street vendors and workers in sweet shop restaurants and bars are also very squatters areas has also very common in the cities. The rising number of slums and squatters areas has Leo contributes of the child Labor population (Pradhan, 1995:40).

Government as well as international development agencies has started to focuses on the welfare of children. The world summit for children held in 1990 epitomized this welfare and reaffirmed the collective commitment of the child Labor. The effort to improve the situation of child laborers’ in Nigeria dates back to 1989, when Nigeria signed the United Nations Convention on the rights of the child. The constitution of Nigeria, 1990 reinforce this effort by guaranteeing the rights of children against exploitation. It prohibits the employment of minors in any hazardous work in factories or mines. Combating child Labor has become as essential element of the national development plan. Nigeria ratified the ILO Minimum Age Convention (No. 138) in May 1997 and the ILO worst forms of Child Labor Convention (No. 182) in September, 2001.