The Lagos State Government has declared that exploitative child domestic work must be classified and treated as an act of domestic violence.
Executive Secretary of the Lagos State Law Reform Commission, Mrs Oluyemisi Ogunlola, made the declaration during the 2025 World Day Against Child Labour event held in Ikeja.
The event was themed: “Ending Child Exploitation and Upholding Dignity: A Case Study of Exploitative Child Domestic Work in Lagos State.”
Ogunlola said children recruited from rural areas are often subjected to hazardous labour conditions, denied education, and exposed to abuse.
She said the state considers exploitative child domestic work as a serious human rights violation that inflicts physical, emotional, and psychological harm on victims.
The executive secretary said some affected children suffer long-term injuries, trauma, and isolation due to the harsh conditions under which they are made to work.
She noted that Lagos State had already introduced legal measures to tackle the menace.
She cited the Domestic Staff Service Providers (Registration) Law, 2019, which mandates the registration of domestic service providers and prohibits the engagement of children in domestic work.
She also referenced the Lagos State Domestic and Sexual Violence Agency (DSVA), which provides legal, medical, and psychological support to victims and manages shelters across the state.
She added that the Lagos State Child Rights Law (2007) guarantees every child’s right to education and protection from exploitation and abuse.
Ogunlola, however, admitted that implementation gaps still exist due to weak community reporting systems, cultural acceptance of child labour, and poor coordination among enforcement agencies.
She said the laws must be fully operationalised with improved collaboration between the DSVA, the Ministry of Youth and Social Development, the Office of the Public Defender, and the Ministry of Justice.
She said stronger rehabilitation support systems are also needed for rescued children.
In his address, Head of Resource Mobilisation at Devatop Centre for Africa Development, Mr Bemshima Abako, called on the Federal Government to officially recognise child domestic servitude as a form of domestic violence.
Abako said child labour must be included in the national domestic violence awareness framework.
He called for greater cooperation among government bodies, NGOs, religious institutions, and the private sector to prosecute offenders and support survivors.
He said the silence surrounding child exploitation must be broken to safeguard the dignity and future of Nigerian children.
He warned that childhood must not be sacrificed on the altar of convenience or poverty.
The event was organised by the Devatop Centre for Africa Development and Talkam, with participants drawn from legal, civil society, and child welfare sectors.
