INTRODUCTION

1.1 Background to the study

Child labour is an unrelenting problem, prevalent in most of the developing world, and

to a reduced amount in developed nations. Dunapo, (2002) quoting Black (1993) states that

children are caught up in abusive work when they are too hard for the small growing body.

Child labour is the involvement of young people below 15 years of age in the Labour

force to make a source of revenue to sustain family earning (Grootaert and Kanbur,1995).

Findings have shown that involving children in economic activities encourages dropout in mass

from school (Canagarajah and Coulombe, 1997). Child labour is not only on the increase in the

developing nations but has taken different forms. International for labour organisation ILO

(1996) estimates put the occurrence of child labour at 250 million in developing countries, out

of which 61% is in Asia, 32% in Africa, and 7% in Latin America. The same source shows that

120 million children are full time workers and 88% of them are between the ages of 10 and 14

years. Basu et al (1998) stated that when talking about child labour force level of involvement,

highest ranked is Africa, which have thirty-three percent in East Africa, 24 percent in West

Africa and 22 percent in Central Africa. Ravallion and Wodon (2000) assert that this

phenomenon hampers the development of human resources and potential of developing

countries.

By tradition, children have worked with their families, learning skills they would need

as adults, including farming skills and knowledge, but today it is now obligatory for children

to labor for their own and their family’s survival (Ofuoku et al, 2014). Most times, in rural

African settings, children work in their family farms and it is taken as part of home education.
 Children contribute to household labour supply, especially farm labour. During critical

periods in the process of production when labour reserves are essential, the children contribute

in terms of their labour which frees other family members in pursuing remunerative market

activities. It is often seen that children add their earnings directly to their family through official

wage from labour, others carry out a blend of farming activities, market activities and/or

domestic activities, especially in Africa. The market and farming activities consist of

agricultural production in family farm that are not paid for and in formal family businesses.

Domestic activities such as preparation of food, cleaning of household, and the task of

taking care of other siblings are most child activities. Children have their function to play in

poor households to boost income and survive in the face of economic shock (Dillon, 2008). In

the rural sector in the economy of Nigerian which is characterized by smallholder farm

ownership and an imperfect labour market, allocation of household labour to optimal level is a

crucial economic problem. Obasi (1999), Nwaru (2004) opine that households rely more on

their family members than hired workers as sources of farm labour. It is within this perspective

that farm households have found children highly useful in agricultural production, processing

and marketing activities.

Against this background, this study critically examined child labour and school

attendance in rivers state especially in the Obio Akpor local government and spelt out the

implication both now and in the future.

however, children who works in industries have been noticed to experience decline in

their educational development and performance. The prevalence of illiteracy, low school

attendance, and low enrolment has been attributed to children's economic participation (Hasan

and Debnath, 2000).

without a doubt, children who take part in dangerous agricultural and other tedious jobs such

hawking bus conductors etc. Have been found to endure from oral abuse by the people who

employ them, constant panic of losing jobs, low self-esteem, and a loss of imagination and do

not have direction for their future in life (Das and Sekhar, 1992; Gulrajani, 1994; Hasan and

Debnath, 2000).

Children’s future is considered as of paramount concern to everyone. A lot of thought

has been given to the need to study the level and nature of children’s agricultural involvement

to determine the types of activity that place them in danger (Adeoti et al., 2013). The correlation

that exist between schooling status and child labour has called for much attention recently.

It is disturbing that in the 21st century, especially in sub-Saharan Africa, and the Third

World Nations, the phenomenon of child labour has been found to be on the swell. rivers state

is not excluded because we observe daily, the multiplication in the number of children who

go about the streets trying to earn a living since 1991 when the state was created. This has

resulted in many social vices which include thuggery, addictions, rape, robbery, prostitution

and alcoholism (ILO,1993). Basically, this project work will serve as a document that would

guide extension organizations and those who makes policy in the design of extension

programmes and review of agricultural policies and programmes especially as related to

children in agriculture and child labour which as increasingly deteriorate the socio-economic

development of the society.

As for Nigeria, the most populous nation in Africa with about 140 million individuals,

there exist high incidences of child labour rates within the country (Bass, 2004). A staggering

15 million children under the age of 14 are working across Nigeria. They work in public places

such as streets and markets, semi-public places (cottage industries, mechanic workshops),
private households, agricultural plantations and quarries (UNICEF, 2006). Many are exposed

to long hours of work in dangerous and unhealthy environments, carrying too much

responsibility for their age. Working in these hazardous conditions with little food, small pay,

no education and no medical care establishes a cycle of child rights violations. Generally,

working children have no time, money or energy to go to school. About 6 million working

children in Nigeria equally split between boys and girls do not attend school at all, 1 million

are forced to drop out due to poverty or because of parents demand to contribute to the family

income. Over 8 million children manage at least partly to stay in school and work in their spare

time to pay education fees. Due to high demands at work, these children often skip classes;

missing out on education makes it impossible to break the cycle of poverty and exploitation

and prevents children from having a better life and safer future (UNICEF, 2006). In Nigeria,

considering regional characteristics, over 89% of children in Southern regions attend school

compared with 74% in Northern regions. This shows that more children in the North are

educationally disadvantaged compared to those in the South. Also, children from Southeast

region had the highest participation in school, 97% of total sampled children in that region,

while children from Northeast region had a relatively low participation rate, which represents

63% of total sample in that region. Thus, there is relatively higher incidence of children

participating in economic activities and lower participation of children in school in North East

than any other region in Nigeria (Okpukpara et al., 2006; Badmus, 2008). Thus, this study

examined the incidence and extent of child labour in rivers state Nigeria.
1.2 Statement of problem

Child labor is a socio-economic problem. Parents for the reason of poverty have to send

their children in order to supplement their income derived from child labor, however this

deficiency in parent income leads to child labor which are essential to sustain the family. The

major reason that creates the circumstances for a child to work as a laborer includes the

following

1. Socio-economic backwardness

2. Poverty - Many a time poverty forces parents to send their children to hazardous jobs.

Although they know it is wrong, they have no other alternative as they need the money.

3. Illiteracy - Illiterate parents do not realize the need for a proper physical, emotional and

cognitive development of a child. As they are uneducated, they do not realize the

importance of education for their children.

4. Unemployment of adult labors - Elders often find it difficult to get jobs. The industrialists

and factory owners find it profitable to employ children. This is so because they can pay

less and extract more work. They will also not create union problem.

1.3 Research question

The project work tends to address the following questions:

(i) what factors lead to child labour at the household level, and what type of economic

activities do children engage in?

(ii) what are the children’s demographic characteristics, as well as the socio-economic

profiles of their parents? and

(iii) how are the various measures of children’s labour force participation influenced by

parental socio-economic status?

Diobu axis Rivers State?

(v) To what extent should child labour to be mitigated in the study area (mile1 and mile3

Diobu axis of Rivers State)

1..4 Aim and Objectives of study

The major objective of this study was to determine the level involvement of children in

child labour and how it affects their perception of tedious job as an occupation and how that

affect their ways of life which and in turn has a detrimental effect to the socio-economic

development. Specifically, this study was carried out to:

1. To access the factor responsible for child labour in the study area

2. To analyse the level of earnings of child labour and its impact on household income.

3. To identify the problem associated with child labour around the area by study the

demographic characteristic of the area and the income of each household.

4. To examine the effect of child labour on the socio-economic development both in long-

run and short-run on the study area

5. To provide a mitigating measure to an increasing child labour around the area.

6. To examine the income of each household especially the parent and determine the

extent of further occurrence of child labour.

In achieving a sustainable development, the adoption of an effective and efficient ways

for reducing the ever-increasing child labour around mile1 and mile3 of Obio Akpor rivers

state. This research portrays the effect of child labour on socio-economic development and

providing a mitigating measure for the effect. The study will provide a qualitative data that will

be used by the government and other stakeholder to help solve this menace. It will also serve

as a sustainable development tools for the environment at large by preserving the interest of

future generation of the society. In addition, to the best of researcher’s knowledge, it is

considered that there is no current research work on this particular study area for assessment

of child labour so therefore it will serve as a baseline for other research that will be conducted

in the area.

1.6 Scope of study

According to Akpakpam (2005:7), the scope of the study is explained as the limits or

boundary lines covers by the research or the extent the researchers would go. However, the

scope of the study covers the effect of child labor on socio economic development in Nigeria

using Obio Akpor LGA of Rivers state as the case study.

1.7.1 Location

Mile1 and mile3 is among the major core market area in rivers state which is located

around diobu axis of Obio-akpor LGA. Mile 1 is among the major core market in port

Harcourt is located along Ikwerre road in Port Harcourt around the main diobu axis with

latitude 4°47'30.47"N, and longitude 6°59'55.00"E with elevation of about 11m and eye

altitude of 1.07km. while the mile 3 is also among core centre of port Harcourt metropolis

which is located around water line area the notable land mark around the area is rivers state

university of science and technology. Mile 3 market is located around latitude 4°48'15.28"N,

longitude 6°59'32.63"E with elevation of about 9m and eye altitude of 1.06km.

1.7.2 Geology and relief

Covering around 100 sq mi, Obio-Akpor which is the main local government of the

study area (mile1 and mile3) is generally a lowland area with average elevation below 30

metres above sea level. Its geology comprises basically of alluvial sedimentary basin and

basement complex. The thick mangrove forest, raffia palms and light rainforest are the major

types of vegetation. Due to high rainfall, the soil in the area is usually sandy or sandy loam.

It is always leached, underlain by a layer of impervious pan.

1..7.3 Climate

Mile1 and mile3 of diobu axis of obio-akpor LGA features a tropical wet climate with

lengthy and heavy rainy seasons and very short dry seasons. Only the months of December

and January truly qualifies as dry season months in the city. The harmattan, which

climatically influences many cities in West Africa, is less pronounced in Port Harcourt. Port
Harcourt's heaviest precipitation occurs during September with an average of 367 mm of

rain. December on average is the driest month of the year, with an average rainfall of 20

mm. Temperatures throughout the year in the city are relatively constant, showing little

variation throughout the course of the year. Average temperatures are typically between 25

°C-28 °C in the city.