Child street hawking is one of the main forms of child labour. Others include children working at building sites or on farms. Nigeria’s population is estimated at 200 million with about 50% below the age of 18. Children are regarded as sources of joy and blessing. In some parts of Nigeria, couples who do not have children are often discriminated against. It is therefore unfortunate that those who have them do not take proper care of them. The issue of child labour cannot be ignored. Nigeria currently has a very high number of out-of-school children.
These children hawking are mostly seen at motor parks, streets and roadsides under the harsh weather with blistered feet while their mates are in classrooms attaining formal education. This spells out the gap between the rich and the poor. Some parents allow their children to roam the streets without a care.
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Some of these children encounter devilish people who harm them in the process. To control and reduce the number of street hawkers in Nigeria, parents should be enlightened on the concept of child labour, its social, emotional and psychological effects. Some children even hawk at night which is very dangerous. Some children learn bad habits on the streets also. It is important that children are protected and cared for. Street hawking by children should be stopped and government should enforce the ban. Government should also consider taking action against any parent that allows his/ her child to hawk.
Lydia Yusuf Gwani, Mass communication Department,
University of Maiduguri
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