For the last two decades, child domestic work carried out in Nigeria as well as in other countries in Africa, Latin America and Asia, has been given increasing attention by international policy makers and scientists. Yet, the research mainly focuses on the living and working conditions of these children, which also forms part of this book. However, in addition, political and pedagogical measures of intervention employed on international, national and local levels on child domestic work are also at the centre of analysis. Against the background of post-colonial theory the author studies the effects of social modernisation in Nigeria as a rapidly growing national economy on child domestic work and historically retraces the origins of this form of child work back to indigenous modes of socialisation and social security within the (pre-colonial) Nigerian extended family network. The research is based on field work in Nigeria, including interviews and documentary analysis.