Nigeria, Aug. 30 -- At just 10 years old, Ladidi Mudi (not real name) wakes at 5:00 a.m. daily. But unlike children her age who prepare for school, her mornings begin with sweeping, mopping, and washing dishes in the home of a stranger she calls "mummy" in Unguwan Rimi, GRA, Kaduna.

Though she lives with her employer, Ladidi worries most about not seeing her mother for months.

"I don't plan to stay here for long. I want to go back home. I am tired of the city," she said quietly.

Ladidi is one of the 24.7 million Nigerian children trapped in child labour. The 2022 Child Labour and Forced Labour Survey shows 39.2 per cent of children aged 5-17 are in child labour. Of these, 29.9 per cent are in hazardous work.

The figures are worse in r...