Newton Anthony
THE National Agency For The Prohibition Of Trafficking In Person (NAPTIP) has charged residents of Ekotedo Community in Ibadan and its environs to desist from hiring underage persons as domestic workers, child trafficking and violence against children.
NAPTIP Commandant, Oyo State Command, Mr. Akanya Augustine, who was accompanied by other NAPTIP officers including Mr. Afred Kayode, Ayinde Olusola and Esther Awotunde, spoke on Thursday while emphasizing that only persons above 18 years should be hired as domestic assistants.
According to Akanya, “No one should employ an underage person as a domestic worker. It is against the law of the land, it is antithetical to morality”.
Akanya however said the only exception is that anyone desirous of engaging an underage as a domestic staff is that such child must have at least basic education and must be taken care of as though a biological child.
“The appropriate thing to do is to employ people above 18 years who know their rights and obligations, and the right channel must be followed”.
On child trafficking, Mr. Akanya insisted that it is completely illegal to traffic anyone, be it underage or otherwise, from one place to another without the consent of family members or parents. “Most people engage in this illegally by deception just to achieve their aim. However, anyone caught in this act will face the full wrath of the law”.
Meanwhile, residents of the community used the medium to congratulate Governor Seyi Makinde on his re-election as governor of Oyo State.
On his part, the Chairman Ibadan Council of Baales, Baale of Ekotedo, Elder Taiye Ayorinde appreciated the efforts of NAPTIP in educating the entire community on how to go about hiring domestic workers and importantly the rules that guide trafficking in persons and violence against children.
He further advised NAPTIP against limiting the campaign against child trafficking, violence against children and hiring of underage as domestic staffers to Ekotedo Community but rather spread it to other communities in order to achieve the desired result.
Eighteen-Eleven Media