Vulnerabilities, support systems and child domestic work in South-West Nigeria

ABSTRACT

Child domestic work (CDW) is often depicted as a poverty-induced and ignorance-manufactured problem requiring urgent attention. Thus, the dominant policies in this regard have often advocated addressing the factors pushing children into domestic service while little or nothing is done about factors beyond the sending households or the structures within which the work is done. This article examines factors influencing employers’ choices, and the context in which child domestic work occurs in South-West Nigeria to highlight the shortcomings of the existing explanations and strategies of addressing child domestic work. The paper contends that individual choices in child domestic work are predicated on an informal support system that thrives in the context of deficiencies in infrastructures and state welfare provision. It concludes by calling for appropriate policies to address these areas.

KEYWORDS:

• Child domestic work
• poverty
• demand factors
• South-West Nigeria

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Notes

1 All names have been changed to protect participants’ anonymity, confidentiality, and privacy.

2 Official exchange rate of NGN380 to US$1.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by funding for the author’s doctoral studies by the University of Nottingham Vice-Chancellor’s Research Excellence Scholarship (International) [grant number: 2016/17]; the University’s School of Sociology & Social Policy, University of Nottingham [grant number: Research Support Fund (2018)]; and the Sir Richard Stapley Educational Trust [grant number: 2017/18].