Nigeria’s Child Exploitation Crisis Exposes Gap Between Policy, Practice

…NAPTIP Records 1,459 Child Domestic Labour Cases In 11 Years

…Data Show 1,099 Child Labour Investigations, 713 Child Abuse Cases

Nigeria’s efforts to protect children from exploitation face renewed scrutiny as data from the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) reveal thousands of child-related cases recorded over 11 years, raising questions about the implementation of child protection policies and the outcomes of law enforcement interventions.

An analysis of NAPTIP data by NEWSNGR covering 2015 to 2025 shows that the agency recorded 1,459 cases involving the employment of children for child domestic labour, alongside 1,099 investigations involving the employment of children for labour.

The data also captured 713 child abuse cases, 431 cases of abduction from guardianship and 1,000 cases involving the buying or selling of human beings for any purpose.

The figures highlight the range of child protection concerns confronting Nigeria, from exploitative domestic work and other forms of child labour to abuse, abduction and trafficking-related offences.

However, the records do not establish the total number of children affected nationwide, nor do they show how many of the cases resulted in successful prosecutions, convictions, rescues or long-term rehabilitation.

The absence of linked outcome data makes it difficult to determine how effectively investigations have translated into justice for victims and stronger protection against further exploitation.

The figures also raise questions about the relationship between government commitments to eliminate child labour and the effectiveness of measures intended to prevent abuse, identify victims and hold offenders accountable.

Child Labour Cases Rise

NAPTIP’s data show fluctuations in investigations involving the employment of children for labour over the 11-year period, with a notable increase in 2025.

The agency recorded 127 cases in 2015, but the figure declined to 50 in 2021. It subsequently rose to 72 in 2022 before falling to 52 in 2023.

Cases increased to 60 in 2024 and 93 in 2025, representing a 55 per cent rise within one year.

Although the increase does not, on its own, establish that the prevalence of child labour rose by the same proportion, it highlights the need to examine the circumstances behind the recorded cases and the effectiveness of preventive interventions.

The separate category of child domestic labour accounted for 1,459 cases during the period under review.

Children engaged in domestic work can face exploitation when employers or recruiters subject them to excessive working hours, deny them access to education, withhold wages, restrict their movement or expose them to physical and sexual abuse.

Not every instance of child domestic work constitutes trafficking. However, where recruitment or employment involves deception, coercion or exploitation that meets the legal definition of trafficking, domestic service can become a means through which children are abused.

The challenge for policymakers and enforcement agencies is to ensure that children in informal employment arrangements are not overlooked simply because their work takes place inside private homes rather than in conventional workplaces.

Policy Commitments & Implementation Gaps

Nigeria has introduced policy measures intended to address child and forced labour, but the NAPTIP figures raise questions about how effectively these commitments are being implemented and monitored.

In April 2021, the Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment announced the validation process for the National Policy on Child and Forced Labour and the National Action Plan on the Elimination of Child and Forced Labour for 2021–2025.

The initiative was linked to Sustainable Development Goal 8.7, which calls for the elimination of forced labour, modern slavery, human trafficking and the worst forms of child labour.

However, the existence of policies and action plans does not, by itself, demonstrate their impact. Assessing their effectiveness requires evidence of enforcement, prevention, victim identification, access to justice and the reintegration of affected children.

The available NAPTIP figures do not provide a direct assessment of the implementation of the 2021–2025 action plan. They also do not establish whether the cases recorded arose from enforcement failures, improved detection, increased reporting or a combination of factors.

Nevertheless, the figures underscore the importance of transparent monitoring systems that connect government commitments with measurable results.

Without clear performance indicators and publicly accessible implementation reports, it remains difficult to establish whether interventions are reducing exploitation or improving the protection available to vulnerable children.

Child Abuse And Sexual Exploitation

Beyond labour, NAPTIP’s records point to other forms of exploitation and abuse affecting children.

NEWSNGR’s analysis shows that the agency recorded 135 reports and investigations under the category of recruiting persons under 18 for prostitution or sexual exploitation during the period covered by the dataset.

The records also include child abuse and abduction from guardianship, illustrating the different child-related cases handled by the agency.

The figures should not be interpreted to mean that every child abuse or abduction case involved trafficking or sexual exploitation. However, they highlight the need for authorities to investigate the circumstances surrounding each case and identify children who may be exposed to multiple forms of abuse.

Children who depend on adults for accommodation, education, employment or financial support can be particularly vulnerable when those relationships become exploitative.

NAPTIP’s records also include categories relating to the recruitment of children for pornography or online exploitation and trafficking for cybercrime.

The available data, however, do not provide sufficient detail to establish the number of children affected by each form of exploitation or the specific methods used to recruit them.

These gaps make it difficult to determine the scale of emerging forms of exploitation and whether existing enforcement and protection systems are adequately equipped to address them.