An Examination of Child Labour Regulation Under Nigerian Law in the Tomato Farming Sector of Katsina State

Child labour in agricultural settings, particularly in the tomato belt of Katsina State, North West Nigeria, represents a significant human rights violation that legal instruments including the Child Rights Act, Labour Act, and relevant Katsina State legislation have failed to eradicate. This study examines the legal prohibition of child labour in agricultural activities in Katsina State, its enforcement, and the socioeconomic factors that sustain it. A field survey of 60 farming households in Daura and Mashi Local Government Areas was conducted alongside interviews with National Human Rights Commission officers and social welfare officials. The doctrinal component analyses the tension between the universality of the Child Rights Act and Katsina State's non-domestication. Results indicate that the absence of state domestication of the Child Rights Act creates a legal vacuum that weakens prosecution of child labour violations. Economic necessity was cited by 78 percent of surveyed households as the primary reason for engaging children in farm work. Federal-level enforcement efforts were limited to UNICEF-supported awareness campaigns without prosecution outcomes. The study concludes that child labour in Katsina agriculture will not be eliminated through legal action alone. Recommendations include conditional cash transfer schemes linked to school attendance, Katsina State domestication of the Child Rights Act, and deployment of child rights protection officers in agricultural Local Government Areas.

Keywords: child labour, Child Rights Act, Katsina State, agricultural sector, child protection