Social Workers Express Worry Over Underaged Colleagues

The Chartered Institute of Social Work Practitioners of Nigeria has expressed worry over employing underage domestic workers, also known as maids or house helps, vowing to move against the erring employers.

This is just as the Institute called for the domestication of the Child Rights Act by more states in Nigeria.

The National President of the CISWPN, Professor Oluwayemisi Obashoro-John, made the call at a press conference at the National Assembly in Abuja on Tuesday.

Responding to questions from journalists, Obashoro-John said, “Househelps are not the kind of professionals that we are.

"They are not social workers. A social worker is trained to do that job.

“A house help is an assistant in a house and is not a social worker.

"He or she is just taking up a job if the individual has reached the age of taking up a job.

“So, when you have a child who has not reached the age of taking up a job, then there is a problem. 

"That is where social work will step in to ensure that, that child is not given a job because they are not supposed to be doing it or any kind of job.

"A househelp is not a social worker.

“We are working with the standard regulation of the International Labour Organisation on who qualifies to be a worker.

"The ILO says 15 in some areas and 18 in some areas.

"So, a child that is below – anyone that is below 15 – is not qualified to work.

"So, if you have a househelp that is below 15, you will have a problem in your hands.

“Most of them are hidden from us but where the social work steps in is when people tell us, and that is why we are calling on society. 

"Let us know when there are aberrations and violations.

"When you have an eight-year-old in your house who takes care of your baby, there is a problem there. 

“In some cases, we report the case and whatever comes out of it is made known to practitioners.”