The Cece Yara Child Advocacy Centre, a leading non-profit dedicated to preventing child sexual abuse and supporting at-risk children in Nigeria, hosted a consultative workshop aimed at addressing the severe challenges faced by child domestic workers.
The event brought together stakeholders, professionals, organizations, and government agencies to discuss systemic solutions for protecting child domestic workers from exploitation, abuse, and neglect.
Themed “Social Welfare Interventions for Child Domestic Workers,” the workshop aimed to foster coordinated multi-stakeholder action and policy advocacy to strengthen child safeguarding frameworks and alleviate the plight of child domestic workers in Lagos State.
Supported by the Freedom Fund and funded by a grant from the U.S. government, stakeholders agreed on effective modalities to protect the rights of child domestic workers and enhance their welfare.
Bisi Ajayi-Kayode, CEO of Cece Yara Child Advocacy Centre, condemned the exploitation of child domestic workers as a form of child labor and a grave violation of their fundamental human rights, stripping them of their innocence and childhood.
Ajayi-Kayode highlighted the severe challenges faced by child domestic workers, noting that many are separated from their families, subjected to sexual abuse, and endure psychological and physical harm, all of which hinder their growth and well-being.
She called for stronger enforcement of child protection laws, improved access to justice, and enhanced support services, including shelters and psychosocial care. Ajayi-Kayode underscored the role of Cece Yara’s 24/7 toll-free Child Helpline 0800800801, a 24/7 toll free number for professional counsel, information care, emergency intervention, and refer path ways for children.
“We also need to increase awareness and utilization of the government resources, support services and this will escalate to increase funding from government organizations and good minded philanthropists to alleviate the plight of child domestic workers,” she added.
Mr. Morufu Abolore Oteniara, Assistant Chief Social Welfare Officer, representing Adenike Adesomoju, the Director, Bureau of Public Defender at the workshop, expressed the need for stronger multi-stakeholder collaboration to prevent and respond to the exploitation of Child Domestic Workers in Lagos State.
She stated that there must be coordinated frameworks for protection, rescue, and reintegration with community engagement.
“This includes the role of the media in reporting exploitative CDWs and enlightenment to ensure sustainable change.
“We must move from seeing this as ‘family matters’ to recognizing it for what it is: a violation of human rights and a crime,” she added.
In her goodwill message, Executive Secretary, Lagos State Domestic and Sexual Violence Agency (DSVA), Titilola Vivour-Adeniyi, reiterated the need for families, communities, and institutions to take responsibility to break the cycle of silence and ensure that no child suffers abuse under the guise of “helping out.” “Children belong in schools, homes, and safe spaces not in servitude,” she stressed.
Aderonke Oyelakin, State Coordinator of the Child Protection Network, an initiative supported by UNICEF, stressed the importance of unified action among child protection agencies to provide swift, well-coordinated, and resource-supported interventions to alleviate the plight of child domestic workers.
She urged the public to treat every child as their own, stating, “If everyone of us can treat every child that comes in contact with us as our own child, then nobody will exploit a child. Treat them as yours because they are the leaders of our country”.
Damilola Adenusi, Project Lead for the Freedom Fund initiative, shared that over the past nine months, the organization has conducted extensive awareness and sensitization campaigns to combat the exploitation of child domestic workers, significantly reducing public ignorance on the issue.
Adenusi also noted that the initiative has supported 50 child domestic workers who have experienced abuse, providing them with temporary shelter and psychosocial therapy to facilitate their reintegration into society, aligning with Cece Yara’s mission to alleviate the plight of these vulnerable children.
Mercy Joshua, Project Coordinator at the Center for the Advancement and Protection of the Rights of Vulnerable People, described the workshop as a critical moment to reinvigorate efforts to alleviate the plight of child domestic workers. She highlighted the need to address remaining gaps by enhancing reporting mechanisms and sensitization strategies. “This is a time to pause, reflect, and celebrate the progress made while fostering stronger collaboration with organizations sharing our mission to ensure child protection and a safe environment for all children in Lagos State,” she stated.