Trafficking or No Trafficking.

Nigerians who employ and keep children under the age of 18 years as domestic servants will now spend five years behind the bars if caught and prosecuted.

Although the offenders are liable to a fine of N100,000, some could pay the fine and still be sent to jail, depending on the circumstances surrounding the commission of the offence and the judge's discretion.

If the offender is a corporate entity, the fine is N250,000. The assets of corporate entities and individuals found to have been acquired with the money from human trafficking will also be forfeited for the rehabilitation of the victims.

http://odili.net/news/source/2006/apr/12/426.html

What is your take on this?

a dumb move that will neither be obeyed nor enforced.

Here are my questions:
- What's the difference between a child, nephew, or friend's child who runs a lot of errands at home and a domestic servant? You know that in our culture children are treated as house helps anyway.
- Have they provided alternative employment for the children under 18 who are currently domestic servants?

I dont think it will be enforced, but hey it looks good on paper

Seun:

Here are my questions:
- What's the difference between a child, nephew, or friend's child who runs a lot of errands at home and a domestic servant? You know that in our culture children are treated as house helps anyway.
- Have they provided alternative employment for the children under 18 who are currently domestic servants?

word!!!!

Nigeria should leave things like this and tackel hunger. If there is solution to hunger in nigeria then something like this should be implimented. we can just make abig jump with all our ignorance. What would this kids do if u dont hire them to help? they will stay in the village and get worse. prosititution etc. Some things for western countries should not be applied to a developing country like nigeria , atleast not until we feed ourself

Seun:

Here are my questions:
- What's the difference between a child, nephew, or friend's child who runs a lot of errands at home and a domestic servant? You know that in our culture children are treated as house helps anyway.
- Have they provided alternative employment for the children under 18 who are currently domestic servants?

exactly what i was gonna say. Some parents are even worse than those who use others kids are their servants. Some parents use their own kids as tho they r like, some sorta MACHINE! Wash plate, cook this, do that, do this, etc.

you know, we could be very funny when it comes to paper works ! policies and policies and policies and that doesnt mean we will do the right things !

I just pray for the betterment of Naija

hot-angel:

exactly what i was going to say. Some parents are even worse than those who use others kids are their servants. Some parents use their own kids as tho they r like, some sorta MACHINE! Wash plate, cook this, do that, do this, etc.

Why shouldn't u "Wash plate, cook this, do that, do this, etc" , no be them born u?, of course I had to do this do that, which is why I was able to maintain a full time job while carryin an average of 22 units in my undergraduate years. The issue is that the law is unenforcable, just like the "gay relationship", laws like u are going to follow people into their bedrooms or something. I mean we havent enforced the laws we already have, the most important one bing Obasanjo leaving office next year,, while we are adding new laws, am really frustrated in every which way, its just like the whole continent have hit a brick wall, there doesnt seem to be a way out, 

mekaozi:



Why shouldn't u "Wash plate, cook this, do that, do this, etc" , no be them born u?, of course I had to do this do that, which is why I was able to maintain a full time job while carryin an average of 22 units in my undergraduate years. The issue is that the law is unenforcable, just like the "gay relationship", laws like u are going to follow people into their bedrooms or something. I mean we havent enforced the laws we already have, the most important one bing Obasanjo leaving office next year,, while we are adding new laws, am really frustrated in every which way, its just like the whole continent have hit a brick wall, there doesnt seem to be a way out,

Okay hunnie, hold on. there's a difference between your kids doing their chores, and you using ur kids to do the things u r spose to do. Why in the name of God, should an 8 yr old kid, go out in the rain to fetch water?? Im sure u know wat im saying by some parents using their kids as machine, dont even let me start listing what some parents use their kids for.

We should tackle poverty first before making all this useless laws. We are just like a new born baby that immediately started to run before learning how to crawl. come to think of it. don't we have a law against street hawking? and don't we see children hawk in every corner of the road in this country? They one they see everyday, they've not taken care of its to go to pple's home and check whether househelps are under 18 or not. Useless GOATS! They should tackle poverty first. I mean nobody likes these practices but what will these young poverty stricken Nigerian do. Go into armed robbery or prostitution? Is that an option?

yup, Seun,

Here are my questions:
- What's the difference between a child, nephew, or friend's child who runs a lot of errands at home and a domestic servant? You know that in our culture children are treated as house helps anyway.
- Have they provided alternative employment for the children under 18 who are currently domestic servants?

all agreed! how about children staying with grandparents?

Worse, employment has not been provided for those above 18, and we're talking those under 18.

There's nothing wrong with kids doing a bit of hard graft to teach them some values,

The problem here is that too many young kids get sent to houses to work for a pittance and are quite honestly treated like crap. There has to be some form of protection for them surely.

I've seen a number of very very young girls working at peoples houses, they have been bought over from Cotonou, they don't speak the language, they have no idea how to get home and the money they are paid is probably all going back to the UNCLE who bought them.

What kind of protection do you suggest for the ones who are exploited?

ma view is that dis gonna be hard to be done considering naija mentality on houseboy n housegirl duties

many ages can be faked, i dont think they are really going to enfore it, but its good to start bringing up laws

hmmm, it sounds good but it's just unrealistic. Accepted, they can tackle child trafficking but not all under 18 house helpers are victims of child trafficking, some have no way out except they opt for death by starvation. Hmmm, it's really pathetic , the 1st solution is for everyone in nigeria to be able to afford atleast 3 square meals. when that is sorted then we are half way there.

Seek ye first to solve hunger, then other things shall be added unto you.

There has to be some form of protection for them surely.

There's a big difference between protection and criminalization. Protection is when you appoint conselors to visit these househelps and ask them, "are they treating you well?" and punish their employers if they have been mistreated. This law does nothing of that nature. It merely deprives these children of their only source of income.

Yes, I am against child labor, but it's still better to be a househelp than to die of hunger or be forced into crime. This idea of depriving people of their source of income in order to 'improve' the society is silly.

well i think the law makes sense, a lot of people especially in lagos carry small children from villages and take them to cities like lagos to make them slaves. the children are helpless and maltreated.

i love the law. some parents in cross river and akwa ibom and ibo states sell thier children of to strangers to make them domestic slaves. i think it's terrible, it's forced child labour.

You see a child of ten years old carrying a massive kg jerry can of water on her head. it's terrible. I had to give one of such kids a lift with the water one day out of pity.

kudos to the creators of the law

nightrider:

well i think the law makes sense, a lot of people especially in lagos carry small children from villages and take them to cities like lagos to make them slaves. the children are helpless and maltreated.

i love the law. some parents in cross river and akwa ibom and ibo states sell their children of to strangers to make them domestic slaves. i think it's terrible, it's forced child labour.

You see a child of ten years old carrying a massive kg jerry can of water on her head. it's terrible. I had to give one of such kids a lift with the water one day out of pity.

kudos to the creators of the law

I agree.
At least the law is a start towards something better

This law makes no sense and is a complete mockery of our legislature.

If girls under 15 are still given out in marriage to those shameless old hausa men in the house of reps (in the name of culture) then why on earth should we be trying to ban under 18's from being used as househelps?

Does someone understand the importance of his job at all?

Talking about 10 year old children being sent to hawk, i don't support that because it's so unsafe. I think the problem is that illiterates breed like rabbits. They copulate without the use of protection, and then they have so many children they can't take care of. Their lack of education consigns them to a low income that can't adequately support 2 or 3 kids not to talk of 6, 7, 8, 9! This makes them take desperate steps like sending their children to hawk or work for strangers who may or may not be cruel.

However, we should not throw out the baby with the bathwater. I don't see what's particularly bad about a 16 or 17 year old having a job (which may be housekeeping). There are some people who treat their domestic servants well and even pay for their education where they would have had no opportunity to be educated. You don't say because some marriages are bad you want to ban marriage altogether, because that will cause more problems. A law to punish child abuse - whether the child is yours or not - would have been more intelligent.

Yet again, our lawmakers are giving senseless solutions to perceived problems.  
Isn't there a reason why these kids are adopted as househelps in the first place.
Yeah, send all the kids under 18 back to "nowhere land" and deprive them of any livelihood or living a better life.  Most times these are relatives too and the living arrangement is informal.  Appointing counsellors like Seun makes a bit more sense but tackling poverty, providing free education with free meal plans while in school seems more like it.  
The country should spend their resources enforcing sensible laws that that already exists instead of making new unscrupulous laws.

A law to punish child abuse - whether the child is yours or not - would have been more intelligent.

@Seun

We are not likely to have that law because as you rightly posited, we are not blessed with intelligent people in the Senate and House of Reps.
Does their definition of child abuse include their marrying 9 yr old girls in the name of religion and culture?

LAGOS, 12 Nov 2002 (IRIN) - While Nigeria signed the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) in 1991, it is yet to establish a law making the convention's provisions enforceable in its courts.
A bill prepared in 1993 could not be signed into law by the then military government due to objections raised by religious groups and traditionalists. A special committee was subsequently set up to harmonise the draft with Nigerian religious and customary beliefs.

After his election in 1999, President Olusegun Obasanjo began another attempt to give legal status to the CRC by sending a bill to parliament. However, on 30 October 2002, the lower chamber of parliament, the House of Representatives, voted to reject the bill.


The main objection the representatives raised targetted a provision setting 18 years as the minimum age for marriage. This, they said, was incompatible with religious and cultural traditions in various parts of the country, where women, especially, are given out in marriage at a younger age.

SCSN (Supreme Council for Shari’ah in Nigeria) took specific exception to moves to make it illegal for girls to marry under the age of 18.

http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=30878&SelectRegion=West_Africa&SelectCountry=NIGERIA


So much for the "intelligent" goons trying to help us ban under-18 househelps, at least the reason some househelps ever saw the four walls of a school is because of the benevolence of their masters!

i think the problem is , we think everything can be done at once. remember there was a time no laws sensible enough to even be debated by enlightened minds was coming from the senate. now they have brought up this law which is a step in the right direction. Give them kudos.

who knows what they'll do next. i personally think it makes sense. maybe the next one will be outlawing 15year old marriages.

this BAN will only make room for more of this kind of conversation:

Husband:[/color][color=#990000][/color][color=#006600] nnkechi, you are sweeter than madam,

Nnkechi: i know oga, john sef say the same thing tooo,

I do believe that Seun has touched on the issue - birth rate.

The economy, by all accounts is growing, unfortunately population growth in Nigeria currently outstrips economic growth.

The only way in which we will ever be able to see the full benefits of a free market economy is by doing something about the ridiculously high birth rate. This means basic family planning and an increase in the availability of contraception.

Hopefully when the above happens then people will see that children are not a 'sign of wealth/prosperity' but a privilege/responsibility and should be treated accordingly.

A country who's population doubles every 40 years is not sustainable. Anyone who says otherwise is blind to the facts.

casper:

this BAN will only make room for more of this kind of conversation:

Husband:[/color][color=#990000][/color][color=#006600] nnkechi, you are sweeter than madam,

Nnkechi: i know oga, john sef say the same thing tooo,

Ok i dont follow??

Vongauche has said it all.

Nigerian wives don't like having grown up housegirls, because of their randy Nigerian husbands.

My cousin has this grown up housegirl who is 18 and looks like Beyonce with very upright "Manchester United" and round "Arsenal". And her voluptuous bosom can cause traffic jam on Broad Street. But, thank God my cousin is now a disciplined Christian. But I am thinking of taking the girl to Nollywood. Because she has the looks. She is fair, well proportioned and with a perfect head. perfect facial features and perfect teeth. Her eyes and lips are awesome. In fact, she is one of the reasons I left town. To flee from the temptations of her attractive looks. But now I have to return for an assignment in Lagos and I have to visit my cousin. So, I am thinking of how to shun her "come-and-get me" sexy looks.

Nigerian wives will not want grown up housegirls and Nigerian husbands will not want grown up houseboys.

I have seen where houseboys were messing around with the daughters of their masters.

We must beware of Child Abuse of very young domestic servants and we must beware of sexual abuse of grown up housemaids.

The best is to have your relatives coming to help. But you must treat them like members of your family and not like slaves.

nightrider:

well i think the law makes sense, a lot of people especially in lagos carry small children from villages and take them to cities like lagos to make them slaves. the children are helpless and maltreated.
i love the law. some parents in cross river and akwa ibom and ibo states sell their children of to strangers to make them domestic slaves. i think it's terrible, it's forced child labour.
You see a child of ten years old carrying a massive kg jerry can of water on her head. it's terrible. I had to give one of such kids a lift with the water one day out of pity.
kudos to the creators of the law

Thank you NightRider { i thought you are only good in Sports}

What people dont realise is a large chunk of these house-help does it completely AGAINST their wish.

Some are from neighbouring countries "SOLD " to Nigerian homes.

Its a pity

I know of many (i really mean many) househelps who have grown, are married with kids and are doing well. Most of them wouldn't be where they are if they had remained in their villages with their parents without any education.

We've had several househelps in my family, most under 18. My parents do not maltreat them, and they usually go to school. Some actually refuse to go to school and decide to learn other things like sewing. When they come, they're usually very small but they grow bigger and fatter in a short while because of better feeding. Some have to trek long distances to fetch water in their places but they don't do that here. They are allowed to communicate with their families. We've had more than one case when a househelp had to be sent home because of some misbehaviour or the other. Their parents usually come to beg. My family isn't the only one with such cases, I know several others.

I think what we need is an agency that controls employment of househelps. They should insist that employers send them to school, feed them well and not involve them in certain jobs (e.g. hawking). They should visit them in school, talk to neighbors etc. Some of these kids are better off in their employers homes.

GL:

I know of many (i really mean many) househelps who have grown, are married with kids and are doing well. Most of them wouldn't be where they are if they had remained in their villages with their parents without any education.
We've had several househelps in my family, most under 18. My parents do not maltreat them, and they usually go to school.

And i have seen Househelps that have been completely maltreated INFACT sexually abused.

I know of a particular girl from seme border that were sexually abused by three of her Oga's boys which resulted into pregnancy. Out of the three, they dont even know who owns the pregnancy. Its a pity.