Amid signs that global efforts to combat child labour are losing momentum, more than 450 delegates from 80 countries gathered in The Hague, Netherland two days ago calling for a re-energized international campaign to eliminate the worst forms of child labour by 2016.

The two-day conference organized by the Government of The Netherlands in cooperation with the International Labour Organization (ILO) discussed progress made since the adoption of ILO Worst Forms of Child Labour Convention (No. 182) in 1999 and considered a "roadmap" to ensure that the 2016 target is met.

An ILO news article said that "in his opening address to the conference, Dutch Minister of Social Affairs and Employment Piet Hein Donner said: "I hope this conference will give us renewed energy to tackle the injustice of child labour. The economic crisis in which the world has become entangled may certainly not be an argument for giving lower priority to tackling child labour."

"It is urgently necessary not only for the conventions against child labour to be signed worldwide but also for vulnerable families to be protected and afforded access to healthcare and social welfare. It is also necessary for decent jobs that carry a reasonable income to be created for adults. Children must have access to education."

Mr. Donner added that "over 200 million children are involved in child labour, often working in harsh conditions. These children cannot go to school. They will often 'burn out' at an early age. We must prevent child labour in the interest of children because children are our future. And also in the interest of the countries where child labour is performed. A country can only develop if new generations have received a good education."

The meeting held between 10th and 11th of this month where its report showed the urgent need to add steam to the fight against child labour.

Prior to the meeting, the ILO noted that "amid growing concerns over the impact of the economic downturn, the International Labour Office (ILO) warned in a new study that efforts to eliminate the worst forms of child labour are slowing down and called for a "re-energized" global campaign to end the practice.

The ILO said that the global number of child labourers had declined from 222 million to 215 million, or 3 per cent, over the period 2004 to 2008, representing a "slowing down of the global pace of reduction."

The report also expressed concern that the global economic crisis could "further brake" progress toward the goal of eliminating the worst forms of child labour by 2016.

"Progress is uneven: neither fast enough nor comprehensive enough to reach the goals that we have set," said ILO Director-General Juan Somavia. "New and large-scale efforts are needed. The situation calls for a re-energized campaign against child labour. We must scale up action and move into a higher gear."

Mr. Somavia added: "The economic downturn cannot become an excuse for diminished ambition and inaction. Instead it offers the opportunity to implement the policy measures that work for people, for recovery and for sustainable development."

The most recent report which looked at trends since 2006 when the last quadrennial report was issued said its "findings are in contrast to the last quadrennial evaluation in 2006 which found greater cause for optimism. The updated picture is one of "uneven" progress toward the goal of eliminating the worst forms of child labour by 2016."

The report warns that if current trends continue the 2016 target will be missed.

It however added that the "good news is that the overall pattern of child labour reduction has been maintained: the more harmful the work and the more vulnerable the children involved, the faster the decline.

"However, a staggering 115 million are still exposed to hazardous work, a proxy often used for the worst forms of child labour."

The report breaks down data by age and gender. Progress was greatest among children aged 5-14, where the number of child labourers fell by 10 per cent. The number of children in hazardous work in this age range fell by 31 per cent.

It said child labour among girls decreased considerably (by 15 million or 15 per cent). However, it increased among boys (by 8 million or 7 per cent). What's more, child labour among young people aged 15 to 17 increased by 20 per cent, from 52 million to 62 million.

The Global Report also includes data aggregated by region. It shows, for example, that "Asia Pacific and Latin America and the Caribbean continue to reduce child labour, while sub-Saharan Africa has witnessed an increase both in relative and absolute terms. This region also has the highest incidence of children working, with one in four children engaged in child labour."

Constance Thomas, Director of the ILO's International Programme on the Elimination of Child Labour (IPEC), outlined some of the key remaining challenges in tackling child labour, including the scale of the problem in Africa, a much needed breakthrough in agriculture - where most child labourers work - and the need to address sometimes "hidden" forms of child labour, which are often among the worst forms.

She said, "Most child labour is rooted in poverty. The way to tackle the problem is clear. We must ensure that all children have the chance of going to school, we need social protection systems that support vulnerable families - particularly at times of crisis - and we need to ensure that adults have a chance of decent work. These measures, combined with effective enforcement of laws that protect children, provide the way forward."

The ILO IPEC programme was launched in 1992, and in the 2008-09 biennium it was operational in over 90 countries.

The question therefore is how has Nigeria fared in the fight against child labour? Cases of child labour abound. You don't need to go far as examples stare us in the face in our villages and in the cities.

The 2006 UNICEF Information Sheet on Child Labour in Nigeria states that a staggering 15 million children under the age of 14 are working across Nigeria and that many are exposed to long hours of work in dangerous and unhealthy environments, carrying too much responsibility for their age.

Working in these hazardous conditions with little food, small pay, no education and no medical care establishes a cycle of child rights violations, the report stated.

It added that while children have always worked in Nigeria, the figures have significantly increased over the years, saying that the end of the oil boom in the late 1970s coupled with mounting poverty has driven millions of children into labour.

Traditionally, it said, children have worked with their families, learning skills they would need as adults, but today children are forced to work for their own and their family's survival. The money earned by child family members has become a significant part of poor families' income.

According to the same report, "generally, working children have no time, money or energy to go to school. About six million working children in Nigeria, equally split between boys and girls, do not attend school at all, while one million children are forced to drop out due to poverty or because of parents' demand to contribute to the family income.

"Over eight million children manage, at least partly, to stay in school and work in their spare time to pay education fees. Due to high demands at work, these children often skip classes. Missing out on education makes it impossible to break the cycle of poverty and exploitation and prevents children from having a better life and a safer future."

It said "in Nigeria, child labour does mostly occur in semi-formal and informal businesses with hundreds of thousands young domestic servants, mainly working for prosperous urban families. Domestic servants are the least visible category and often sexually harassed. Among young domestic workers, one half of those employed in Lagos said they knew of sexually molested domestic servants.

"Overall, hazardous work in fields, quarries, private households and on the streets exposes children to abuse and exploitation and poses serious threats to their health and development."

Another UNICEF report released in 1996 said children mostly work in public places such as streets and markets breaking it down street vendors (64%), beggars (13%), shoe shiners (4%), car washers/watchers (6%), scavengers (5%) and feet washers (8%).

It said those engaged in semi-public settings such as cottage industries and mechanic workshops could be broken into apprentice mechanic / vulcanisers (24%), bus conductors (17%), iron / metal workers (6%), carpenters (14%), tailors / weavers (14%), hairdressers / barbers (18%) and caterers (8%).

Others, it said, work in private households as domestic servants while others work in agricultural plantations and quarries.

The grim picture above calls for urgent action by the authorities involved in protecting the Nigerian child. The Federal Ministry of Labour and Productivity and the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons and other Related Matters (NAPTIP) as well as other concerned bodies should work harmoniously to ensure that the scourge is eliminated.

Many Nigerians believe that the inspectorate division of the ministry of labour should be equipped with the necessary logistics to cover most of the workplaces in the 36 states of the federation and the FCT. Special attention also needs to be given to places like small and medium scale businesses like producers of sachet water, bakeries, poultry farms, hotels and even restaurants.

The issue of the Almajiris (child beggars) in the north should also be treated with utmost urgency. No matter, how daunting the task may seem, Nigerians are calling for an improvement in the fight against child labour through a coordinated effort of all the agencies involved.