Stakeholders have identified poor case reporting, cultural factors, absence of support services, stigmatisation and isolation of victims as major bottlenecks to justice for victims of child labour violations in Lagos State.

The concerns were raised at a stakeholders’ workshop on exploitative child domestic work held in Alausa, Ikeja.

The workshop, with the theme “From Report to Justice: Closing the Gaps in Accountability for Abuse and Exploitation of Child Domestic Workers,” was organised by CeCe Yara Child Advocacy Centre.

Deputy Director, Legal, at the National Human Rights Commission, NHRC, Mrs. Yemisi Akhile, said the rights of child domestic workers must be protected. She listed lack of witnesses, prosecution delays and unprofessional conduct by first responders as factors aiding abuse.

“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,” Akhile said.

She called for stronger collaboration and greater attention to violations involving underage labour.

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Arinze, who spoke on “Advancing Timely and Effective Justice for Children,” highlighted the consequences of delayed, withdrawn or unresolved cases and stressed the need for credible convictions and lawful outcomes.

According to her, effective reporting and proper documentation are key to preventing recurring abuse of children forced into inappropriate domestic chores. She noted that many cases suffer setbacks because families are unwilling to proceed, children are traumatised by repeated interviews, or case files are 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,” Arinze said.

The Convener and Chief Executive Officer of CeCe Yara Child Advocacy Centre, Mrs. Bisi Ajayi-Kayode, said studies by the International Labour Organization, ILO, and the US-based Freedom Fund show that a high proportion of child domestic work is exploitative and violates Nigerian labour and child rights laws.

She said access to justice goes beyond the existence of 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.

In her remarks, the Nigeria Programme Advisor for Freedom Fund, the civil society organisation sponsoring the campaign with funding from the United States Government, Mrs. Chika Nwabike, said all hands must be on deck to ensure that child labour violations go through the full process from reporting to protection and justice for victims. (The Nation)