LAGOS — A heart-wrenching case of severe child labor, abuse, and domestic servitude has come to light following the rescue of a young girl forced to work 14-hour days without access to education or medical care for five years.
Details of the survivor’s ordeal were shared by human rights advocate and community responder Livinus Nwosu, shedding light on the brutal conditions under which the child was held behind closed doors.
According to statements from Nwosu, the young girl was brought into the household as a domestic worker five years ago and systematically deprived of her fundamental human rights, health, and dignity.
Chores, Injuries, and Denied Schooling: Details of the Abuse
The account details a harrowing pattern of daily exploitation and physical neglect:
- Extreme Work Hours: The child was forced to work grueling shifts almost every day, running from 12:00 p.m. until 2:00 a.m., carrying out heavy household chores with virtually no rest.
- Severe Physical Toll: Despite suffering from peeling skin on her hands and untreated physical injuries on her legs, her employers forced her to continue working without medical attention.
- Denial of Education: After enrolling her in primary school just once upon her arrival, her employers permanently pulled her out of school to keep her working full-time in the house.
- Failed Pleas for Escape: The survivor recounted secretly begging neighbors to help her escape the abusive household over the years, but her pleas went unanswered until recent civil intervention.
“She worked almost every day from 12:00 p.m. to 2:00 a.m. Despite peeling skin on her hands and injuries on her legs, she was still made to work. She told us she had secretly begged neighbours to help her escape, but no one did… She attended primary school only once before they stopped her from going back,” stated Livinus Nwosu.
Calls for Prosecution and NAPTIP Intervention
Human rights activists and child protection organizations have called on the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) and the Nigeria Police Force to immediately arrest and prosecute the employers.
Legal advocates stress that the case violates multiple sections of the Child Rights Act and the Violence Against Persons (Prohibition) Act (VAPP), which explicitly criminalize forced child labor, denial of basic education, and physical abuse.
Violation 1: Child Labor & Servitude (Child Rights Act)
Violation 2: Denial of Basic & Primary Education
Violation 3: Physical Abuse & Medical Neglect
Next Step: NAPTIP Custody, Rehabilitation & Formal Prosecution of Employers
Child welfare officials have taken charge of the survivor to provide immediate medical treatment, psychological trauma support, and protective care while legal proceedings against the perpetrators are being finalized.
