Incidence Of Child Labour Among Secondary School Students In Benin Metropolis Of Edo State, Nigeria

Abstract

Incidence of child labour among secondary school students in Benin Metropolis of Edo state Nigeria was investigated. The study adopted the survey design. A total of 755 students participated in the study. The questionnaire titled Child Labour and School Attendance Inventory was used to gather data for this study. Results indicated among others as follows: 278 respondents representing 36.8% were engaged in at least one form of child labour. Of these, 197 (70.86 %) of them are involved in domestic servitude; 46 (16.55%) of them are involved in hawking and the remaining 35 (12.59%) of them are involved in both hawking and domestic servitude. Based on the findings, it is strongly recommended that governments should enact laws to protect the rights of the child and there should also be public enlightenment, which can be carried out through the media, rallies and workshops to save this generation of the upsurge of child labour.

Key Words: Child Labour, School Activities, School success, Child Abuse