Catherwood LibraryILR School

Nigeria has the highest prevalence of child labor in West Africa, as found by a recent report by the ILO. Nigerian children make up 15 million of the 168 million underage children that are working, and are additionally subject to the most exploitative work. They are encouraged by their families to engage in prostitution, beg on the streets, work in mines, and are used as soldiers in armed conflicts because families often rely on the income of their children. The problem has been exacerbated by the destructive presence of Boko Haram in the Northeast—many children have no choice but to work because their parents have been killed, leaving them to support themselves and their younger siblings. Although Nigeria has signed agreements from the UN and the African Charter to respect the rights of children, activists maintain that Nigerian children are still exploited, and that the government or NGOs must step up to support them.