Perception and Practice of Child Labour in South-Western, Nigeria
[1]
Asuquo Eme Olukemi, Department of Preventive and Social Medicine, University of Port Harcourt, Port Harcourt, Nigeria; Department of Health Promotion and Education, University of Ibadan, Ibadan, Nigeria.
[2]
Arulogun Oyedunni Sola, Department of Health Promotion and Education, University of Ibadan, Ibadan, Nigeria.
[3]
Tobin-West Charles Ibiene, Department of Preventive and Social Medicine, University of Port Harcourt, Port Harcourt, Nigeria.
Child labour is a barrier to the achievement of goals to eradicate poverty and establish universal education. This study provides baseline information on the perception and practice of child labour in Nigeria to enable government and policy makers proffer solutions to the problem. A cross-sectional study was carried out among parents in Ibadan North Local Government Area of Oyo State, Nigeria in 2009, using quantitative and qualitative methods comprising of questionnaires and in-depth interviews to document their perception and practice of child labour. A total of 700 copies of the questionnaire were administered and analysed. They were 461 (65.8%) females and 239 (34.2%) males and ages ranged between 20-70 years. Mean 37.5 ± 8.1years. Most (94.5%) of the respondents were aware of child labour and the instances in which they occurred. Child labour occurred more between the ages of 6 to 14 years. The commonest causes were poverty (41.1%), illiteracy (32.2%), and large family size (26.7%). No significant relationship was found between the educational level of respondents and the practice of child labour (x2=0.40, p=0.525). Of the 686/700 respondents that had knowledge of child labour, 420 (61.2%) practiced it in one form or the other (x2= 32.97, p=0.000) . Those with the least income gave more of their children out either as hawkers or house-helps (x2= 18.11, p= 0.00) . Creating economic empowerment programmes for the poor in the society, intensifying campaigns on the consequences of child labour and enforcing existing laws are advocated to reduce child labour in Nigeria.
Perception, Practice of Child Labour, Oyo State, Nigeria
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