According to the United Nations Children Fund (UNICEF), over 10.5 million children are out of school in Nigeria.
Out of this, 47.7 per cent are said to be girls aged 5-14 years who have never set foot in school but engaged in hawking.
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Many parents, particularly in the northern part of the country, prefer sending their children to hawk rather than being in the school. This has thrown and exposed the children to danger.
Street hawking has humongous implications for children’s physical and emotional well-being, particularly girls. It exposes them to sexual abuse, physical exhaustion, accidents, drug and substance abuse and prostitution.
Many have been victims of rape, kidnapping, rituals, trafficking, prostitution among other forms of child abuse.
As we commemorate International Women’s Day, I want to implore as well as draw the attention of the federal government to implement the act prohibiting hawking by children.
Nigeria is a signatory to the 1989 UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, which was passed to protect children from getting involved in any activity which negatively affects their health and well-being. The convention also emphasises the need for the government to protect children from exploitation.
Besides, Nigeria’s Child Rights Act has similar provisions. It says children should be protected from trafficking and or street hawking.
I still, wonder why the implementation of these laws becomes so difficult for the government.
Children are still being trafficked, kidnapped, raped by being pushed into the street to hawk despite the dangers associated with it.
Therefore, if indeed Nigeria’s government wants to reduce child abuse, it should ensure the implementation of the provisions of the act.
Doing so, will help to curb the menace of raping, kidnapping, drug abuse among other insecurity challenges facing the nation.
I also want to call on individuals, parents as well as other authorities to contribute towards eradicating this menace
Ukasha Rabiu Magama wrote from Toro Bauchi
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