The Anambra State government has hinted that it would commence the arrest and prosecution of parents and guardians who engage children in street hawking and begging in the state.
The state’s Commissioner for Women and Social Welfare, Mrs Ify Obinabo, said this in a statement in Awka.
Obinabo said the action would ensure the survival, development and protection of all the children in the state, as well as serve as a deterrent to parents and guardians.
“The rate of children hawking and begging on our streets, the rate of child sexual abuse, trafficking and maltreatment in the state, has become alarming.
“The use of children for domestic labour, negligence and maltreatment on the part of parents and guardians, contradicts the tenets of the Child Rights Act.
“The ministry is ready to arrest and prosecute anyone – parents or guardians, who abuse the fundamental rights of children in the state.
“From next week, if we see any child hawking or begging on the street, that child will identify whoever engaged him or her and we will arrest the person,” she said.
The commissioner further said that the ministry would continue to sensitise parents on the need to send their children to school and prioritise their upbringing.
