Public Spaces and Concentrations of Child Labourers in Ibadan Municipality, Nigeria

Abstract

Against the background of the solution-defying incidence of child labourers in Nigerian cities, this study examined the relationship between public spaces and incidence of child labourers in Ibadan Municipality, Nigeria. Data were obtained through direct counting of child labourers and cursory observation of the physical and environmental compositions of their places of operation. The direct counting was conducted for seven days of the week in the morning, afternoon and evening within defined activity-nuclei purposively selected across three densities of residential areas of the municipality: high, medium and low. The data collected were subjected to descriptive statistics. Findings showed that the incidence and categories of child labourers varied with public spaces and density of residential areas, and also followed the concentric, sector and multiple nuclei theories of urban land use. The study, therefore, recommended that urban planners and government have roles to play in offering lasting solution to the menace of child labour.