Mustapha Hashim Kurfi and Mustapha Abdullahi Aliyu
This study argues that understanding the complexity of child labor experiences in the developing countries like Nigeria is a sine-qua-non for sustainable development of the societies. It posits that a distinction needs to be made between child labor and child work. More so, until and unless we comprehend the background of families, the state of welfare, the potency of state mechanisms of control along political will, as well as the motives of the victims in relation to the consequences on the victims and the society in general, we cannot deal with the menace of child labor in the global south. This empirical study surveyed 311 child laborers in Kaduna Metropolis- Nigeria; conducted key informants' interviews; and utilized content analysis to generate the findings of the research. The data illustrate that the dynamics of child labor in the area of study is relatively common to children from poor and difficult parental backgrounds. It shows multiple consequences of such activities on schooling and general well-being of the children. It highlights the tendency for the children's future to be compromised with antecedent consequences such as increasing anti-social behaviors and the tendencies for transition from delinquency to criminality in the metropolis. Conversely, the data indicate that government is relenting on implementing measures to curb the problem. The study therefore recommends improved welfare provision by the state government, enhanced public private partnership (PPP), as well as private initiatives as collaborative efforts for empowerment. These efforts should be a bottom-top approach for the general well-being of notably the less-privileged in the metropolis.
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