By Maria Famakinwa

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The need to eradicate all forms of child labour by year 2025 has again come to the fore in a training workshop organised by International Labour Organisation (ILO) for media practitioners and National Orientation Agency (NOA) staff in Ondo State.
Speaking on the topic: Overview Of Child Labour /Protection, the National Project Coordinator, Dr. Agatha Kolawole, described child labour as a scourge that needs to be fought by all stakeholders in order to secure the future of our children.
Kolawole who lamented the rising cases of child labour especially in Nigeria called for concerted effort to eliminate the disturbing trend by year 2025 as she challenged well meaning Nigerians to brace up at eradicating child labour .
She said,”Child labour includes all work which by its nature or conditions under which it is carried out, harms, abuses and exploits the child or deprives the child of an education and recreation. The aim of the workshop is to train participants about protecting children from every form of exploitation and abuse. Children have the right to be protected and giving the chance to develop mentally, physically and spiritually. They have the right to be heard and make their views known on matters which affect them.”
Federal Labour Controller, Ondo State, Mr Sola Folayan, who spoke on government efforts in combating the scourge said, “some methods adopted by the Federal Government to end child labour includes establishment of National Steering Committee on Child Labour by the Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment, Constitution and inauguration of State steering committee on child labour with designated child labour desk officer, advocacy visits to various states on the elimination of child labour among others.”
Folayan submitted that child labour was a threat to the future of the nation nothing that the year 2025 benchmark for total eradication of child labour must be supported by all stakeholders to win the war.
Ondo State Chairman of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Mr Tona Aderoboye, commended the organisers of the programme and hinted that efforts must be geared towards reversing the bad trend of child labour in the country.
In her words, Ondo State NOA Acting Director, Mrs Adelayo Adefolalu, affirmed that child labour affected children in every aspect of life and canvassed promulgation of laws to discourage it.