Politics
THE Action against Child Labour in Agriculture in West Africa (ACLAWA) has urged the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) to review the existing child labour legislation in the region.
Ms Agatha Kolawole, National Project Director, ACLAWA and Abuja Office Child Labour and Trafficking-in-Persons Focal Officer, said this at an event on child labour in Abuja on Thursday.
The event was jointly organised by the Inter-Parliarmentary Union (IPU) and International Labour Organisation (ILO) on child labour.
The session is part of the ongoing First Ordinary Session of the ECOWAS Parliament with a theme: Eradication of Child Labour: Taking Stock and Sustaining the Commitment of the ECOWAS Parliament.
ACLAWA is a project of the United States Department of Labour, Bureau of International Labour Affairs.
The project aims at supporting the efforts of the Government of Nigeria and the ECOWAS in order to eradicate and combat child labour.
He also called on West African governments to ensure access to justice by strengthening legal frameworks, with criteria of impartiality, access without discrimination, confidentiality principles, among others.
“Review of existing child labour legislation and close gaps on hazardous child labour lists, minimum age.
“Ensure sufficient funding of national action plans and related activities on forced labour, slavery, trafficking in persons and child labour / childhood development” he added.
This would address the root causes of poverty, social exclusion and insufficient access to decent work are absolutely crucial to make progress.”
She added that ECOWAS should establish legislation to provide education, training and other awareness raising mechanisms on the commitments of the private sector.
” Governments should strengthen the competencies and effectiveness of labour inspection”
” Governments should promote the ratification of international human rights conventions on forced labour, slavery, trafficking-in-persons and child labour” m
“Particularly the respective ILO Conventions: Protocol to the Forced Labour Convention N°29 (P.29); Domestic workers convention 189,
“P.29 promotes the development of a national policy, in consultation with the social partners.
“The protocol deals with prevention, protection and access to justice particularly.”
The ACLAWA project is expected to support ECOWAS to mobilise resources and conduct advocacy in support of its Regional Action Plan (RAP).
It is also expected to develop and operationalise the ECOWAS Child Labour/Forced Labor Accountability Tool for monitoring and reporting on implementation of the RAP.
It would also support wider adoption and use of the ECOWAS Peer Review mechanism to support direct coordination between member states to align child labour policies.
The project would also support the Nigerian government to improve the legislative, policy, and enforcement enabling environment for addressing child labour.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that following a thorough review exercise, the ECOWAS validated the second cycle of the Regional Action Plan for the Elimination of Child Labour and Forced Labour in West Africa (2021-2030).
NAN reports that the initial ECOWAS Child Policy was developed to support the promotion and fulfilment of children’s rights in West Africa, focusing on four key priority areas: Survival, Development, Protection and Participation.
The Child Policy was adopted in December 2008 by ECOWAS Heads of State and
Government.
The accompanying Strategic Plan of Action provided a roadmap linking the Child Policy
objectives to actionable strategies under the four key priority areas and ran from 2009 to 2013.
The ECOWAS Child Policy provides the broadbased structure and a policy direction for Member States in their common regional and international aspirations towards fulfilling child rights in West Africa.
The imperative for a regionalChildPolicy stems fromECOWASMember States’ commitmentto fulfiltheir obligations towards children in accordance with the Revised ECOWAS Treaty of 1993 and its associated instruments.
Article 4 of the Treaty guarantees the fundamental principles of human rights in accordance with the provisions of the African Charter on Human and People’s Rights, among others. (NAN)
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Tags: Action against Child Labour in Agriculture Ms Agatha Kolawole
