Patriotic Citizen Initiatives carried out a sensitization programme on June 12 (the identified world day against child labour) in a market place, located at Agboju area of Amuwo-Odofin Local Government Area of Festac Town. The programme kicked off around the office of PCI at about 11:45am when the Executive Director (Osemene Osita) intercepted a suspected 12 years old victim of child labour in the person of Thankgod Ruth. The victim was interrogated and counseled and investigation is on-going to ascertain the status of the victim. It seems to be either a suspected case of child trafficking child labour or both.
Patriotic citizen initiatives thereafter proceeded to the Agboju Market in Festac Town for further sensitization with market women and men (parents). The choice of event was to capture an audience that are often the perpetrators of the offence. At the market, a section of traders were addressed including buyers. Osita Osemene spoke extensively on the ills of child labour, its consequences and reintegrated that it is a criminal office in Nigeria and punishable by Law. His crew Nkiru and Ego went about attending to the questions of listeners as well as distributing customized exercise books that explain “the importance of good and sound education.
OUTCOMES
There were reactions by some traders who said they weren’t aware that child labour was punishable by law. In other words, they would put in all efforts to reduce the occurrences of having their children or words hawk on the street or used for menial jobs.
In the course of the programme, we reached out to over 50 women excluding purchasers who could not be numbered.
We concluded by issuing out child help lines numbers to all participants to report cases of child labour.
