Devatop Centre for Africa Development, a youth-led anti-human trafficking and human rights organisation, has called on the Nigerian government to strengthen policies protecting Child Domestic Workers’ (CDWs) rights and dignity.
Mr Joseph Osuigwe, Devatop’s Executive Director, made this call yesterday (Saturday, October 12) in Lagos at a stakeholders’ policy dialogue aimed at reviewing progress since the first dialogue in April.
He emphasised the need for effective policy implementation to safeguard CDWs, explaining that yesterday’s dialogue addressed child domestic worker exploitation, policy gaps, and effective implementation, and pointing out that protecting children from exploitation is a civic duty, not charity.
Osuigwe expressed optimism that the dialogue would yield practical plans to strengthen policy implementation.
“Devatop has made significant progress through training programmes, community engagement, and support services,” he said.
He said that the efforts so far include: Training CDWs and their guardians on child rights and safeguarding, and establishing the CDWs Rights Forum in two communities with over 80 participants
Others, he said included training 40 community influencers as child rights champions and launching a forum to promote child protection and responding to reported child abuse cases and engaging community influencers in awareness campaigns.
Mrs Comfort Agboko, Lagos Commander of NAPTIP, called for strong synergy amongst stakeholders and partners to create a child-safe environment.
She emphasised effective coordination and collaboration between state and non-state actors.
Agboko advocated for training law enforcement officers and judges, increasing access to justice for children, and rebranding law-enforcement units handling children’s issues.
Representatives from key organisations, including the Freedom Fund, Ministry of Labour, and National Human Rights Commission, attended the event, demonstrating their commitment to addressing CDW exploitation. (NAN)
