Politics
THE Chartered Institute of Social Work Practitioners of Nigeria (ISOWN) has called on stakeholders to form strong synergy and take concerted efforts to stamp-out employment of underage domestic workers in the country.
The National President ISOWN, Prof. Oluwayemisi Obashoro, made the call while briefing newsmen on Tuesday in Abuja.
Obashoro decried employment of underaged domestic workers, also known as maids or house helps.
“House helps are not the kind of professionals that we are. They are not social workers. A social worker is trained to do that job,” she said.
According to the president, the institute works with the standard regulations of the International Labour Organisation (ILO) which puts the age to work at 15 and in some area it is 18.
“If you have a house help that is below 15 years, he or she is not qualified to work and you have a problem in your hands.
“Most of them are hidden from us but we step in when people tell us and we are calling on the society to let us know when they are aberrations and violations.
“When you have an eight-year-old in your house that takes care of your baby, there is a problem there but we cannot know unless the neighbours tell us.
“If we are aware, we go out and do the needful, in some cases we report to appropriate authorities and whatever comes out it is made known to practitioners,” she said.
The president stressed the need for States that had yet to domesticate the Child Right Act to do do.
She commended President Muhammadu Buhari and the National Assembly for passing the Social Worker Act (2022).
Obashoro said that a social workers, as stated by the Act means an applied or behavioral profession that simply promotes human rights, social justice, and peace and conflict resolutions.
She said it also entailed engendering social change, problem solving and sustainable development in human relationship focusing on the empowerment and liberation of people.
The president said that enhancing the well-being of individuals, families, groups and communities, and utilising the theories of human behaviour and social system was also included. (NAN)
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Tags: Institute of Social Work Practitioners of Nigeria (ISOWN)
