By: Manoah Kikekon
IKEJA, LAGOS – The Hearts and Hands Humanitarian Foundation (3HF) has organised a Child Rights and Safeguarding workshop, uniting key stakeholders from government agencies, NGOs, and community groups.
The event, held on November 20, 2025, at Ikeja, Lagos State funded by the Freedom Fund, served as a critical platform to align strategies and reinforce the legal and moral imperative to protect Child Domestic Workers in Lagos State against exploitation.
Cordelia Otutu, Case Officer for 3HF, provided a sober yet hopeful perspective on the foundation's mission. She emphasized that eradicating child exploitation is a gradual process, stating, "This is not what we can do at a go."
Highlighting 3HF's tangible impact, Otutu revealed recent successes, including enrolling a victim in vocational skill acquisition and providing psychosocial support for several others. She issued a call to the public, urging a shift in mindset: "Every child is equal and deserves to be treated equally all employers of domestic workers need to treat them right."
Mrs. Agboko Comfort, Zonal Commander of the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) Lagos Zonal Command, clarified the agency's stance. "We don't support using children as house help; our laws do not allow it," she stated unequivocally.
Comfort explained that NAPTIP's role is to ensure these children are not abused and to advocate for their good treatment. She issued a stern warning to potential offenders, detailing the punishment for abuse as "a minimum of three months imprisonment or a maximum of two years." Her message was clear: "NAPTIP is saying no to child abuse."
Olajumoke Otitoloju, Project Coordinator for Iyaniwura Care Foundation and an advocate for persons with disabilities, praised the initiative as an "eye-opener." However, she strongly advocated for taking the message directly to the local communities where exploitation is most prevalent. "Awareness is important because some don't even know that it is a crime against the right of the child," Otitoloju noted.
She called on the government to intensify enforcement and reduce the bureaucracy that hampers the effectiveness of child protection laws and policies, urging communities, "when you see something, say something."
Amans Precious, a Child Protection Welfare Officer with the Lagos State Government, stated that programs like the 3HF workshop "cannot be overemphasized because this is a continuous process."
Precious confirmed that the government is working to create enabling environments to address these situations but stressed that vigilance and proactive measures are crucial. "It is not enough to just say what we see," she asserted. "There is a need to take action at every moment to make sure their matters are addressed so that the children are always protected."