A non-government advocacy group, Centre for the Advancement and Protection of the Rights of Vulnerable People (CAPRIGHTS), has carried out a community sensitisation walk in Alimosho Local Government Area to combat child abuse and exploitative domestic labour.
The campaign forms part of the global initiative “A Program to Reduce Exploitative Child Domestic Work.”
The procession moved through major roads in the council area and brought together civil society organisations, community leaders, religious bodies and residents to highlight the dangers faced by child domestic workers and the need for stronger protection systems at community level.
Project Manager of the organisation, Mrs. Ngozi Arinze, explained that the outreach aimed to discourage child domestic labour and ensure children have access to education, healthcare and healthy social interaction.
She said the programme was designed to deepen public discussion on child labour, amplify community voices and encourage collective responsibility in safeguarding vulnerable children.
According to her, the campaign also sought to challenge harmful cultural normalisation of child domestic servitude.
“Every child’s life matters, whether the child is yours or not.
We are raising awareness that domestic child workers are humans and must be treated with dignity,” she stated.
Human rights advocate Mr. Damilola Adenusi noted that advocacy and accountability must go hand-in-hand, urging neighbours not to ignore signs of abuse but to report offenders.
A founding member of the organisation, Mrs. Oluwaseun Ezekiel, added that citizens must actively defend marginalised children.
She advised victims or witnesses to report abuse through the NGO’s reporting platform or appropriate government agencies via their official lines.
Women Affairs Secretary of Nasrul-Lahi-il-Fatih Society Lagos Zone 2, Hajia Mosunmola Busari, said the religious body partnered with the NGO to promote responsible parenting and child-friendly communities.
She warned that concealing abuse enables perpetrators and endangers more children.
The project is supported by Freedom Fund with backing from the United States Government and the International Labour Organization as part of wider efforts to protect children’s rights.
Written by Olusegun Haastrup