Assessment of Child Labour among Farming Households in Selected Local Government Areas of Niger State, Nigeria

Abstract

The study examined child labour among farming households in selected Local Government Areas of Niger State Nigeria. The primary data used for the study were obtained from 103 farmers that were randomly selected from two Local Government Areas using structured questionnaire. Descriptive statistics was used to describe the activities and the hazards encountered by children involved in farm work in the study area. Binary logit regression model was used to analyse the factors affecting child labour use among rural agrarians in the study area. The results of the study showed that the major activity status of the children in the study area was combination of schooling with farm work. The study also revealed that there were more females schooling (43.7%) when compared to the males (16.4%) in the study area. In terms of age, male children aged between 15-17 years (48.10%) were more exposed to work only than female children (21.4%) of the same age. However, 40.7 percent of the female children that work and school were aged between 9 and 14 years. The study further revealed that the age of the household head (P<0.05) and the number of male children (P<0.01) increased the probability of involving children in child labour. The study therefore concludes that male children are more prone to use as child labour than their female counterparts and the aged household heads are more likely to involve their children in work. Hence the study recommends that household heads should be sensitized on the need to avoid engaging their children especially the males in long hours of work in order to allow them participate actively in school. Furthermore, there is a need to cushion the effect of low income at old age through the provision of adequate pension schemes since low income is the key reason for child labour use.