Saturday Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net
NOVEMBER 12, 2016
Saturday Starter
PAGE
5
‘Poverty alleviation ’ll decrease prevalence of child hawking’ CONTINUED FROM PAGE 4
The second way is through their parents, who send them to the street to hawk to supplement their family income. In most cases, their families migrated to the city on their own but could not cope with the high cost of living. Deplorable living conditions and the high rate of unemployment in rural communities because of the government’s focus on development projects in cities have given people no option but to migrate to the city. It fosters the notion that migrating to the city is the best way to break the poverty cycle. Third, they are orphans who lost their parents either to disease or terrorist activity. They live on the street and hawk for survival According to Mr Isiaka Saheed, a lawyer and public affairs analyst, Child street hawking opposes the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. “Nigeria is a signatory to the convention, which was established in 1989. The convention makes it an offence to involve children in an activity which impacts negatively on their health and well-being. The convention also emphasizes the need for the government to protect children from exploitation” He added: “In addition to the convention, Nigeria’s Child Rights Act has similar provisions. It says children should be protected from trafficking and/or street hawking. But the implementation of these provisions has been abysmal to date. Children are still being trafficked and pushed into street hawking despite the many dangers associated with it. In the past the government has provided some structural interventions. These include the Universal Basic Education programme. Introduced in 1999, it was intended to guarantee tuition-free compulsory basic education for all children in Nigeria. But due to poor infrastructure, inadequate funding and lowering education standards, the impact is yet to be felt. Despite the emotional trauma and physical dangers these vulnerable children face, little is being done to protect them or to discourage such practices. Poverty alleviation, health education and protective child rights policies would decrease the prevalence of child street hawking. A Sociologist and a public affairs analyst Mr. Tajudeen Isola said the parents of children who street hawk should be empowered economically, to be able to take care of them. “ But the government should also create awareness about child trafficking and provide affected children with support. Constantly denying children their right to be protected and cared for has an impact on their effective development and well-being and is an injustice. A concerted effort should be made to implement the UN convention and the provisions of the Child Rights Act. More importantly, the government must understand the psychological impact of this trade. It must tailor interventions to meet the needs of these children and to reduce the practice”
Measures such as providing free education to all children at the
primary level, strict enforcement of
the law against child abuse, arresting parents whose children are found hawking on the streets could be used to control and gradually eradicate child hawking and begging alms on the streets ‘Measures such as; providing free education to all children at the primary level, strict enforcement of the law against child abuse, arresting parents whose children are found hawking on the streets could be used to control and gradually eradicate child abuse of any form especially hawking and begging alms on the street. Two, like many other members of the public who was interviewed had the following to say on this issue; “I find parents who encourage their ward to wander off and beg on the for alms despicable and unfit to be called parents in any case, the government has a huge part to play in enforcing the child act law… providing infrastructure, and improving the economic standards to accommodate the poor and less privileged in our society. Even if the family needs to survive, it shouldn’t be at the expense of the children. Most families that involve in such give excuses due to poverty level. Nothing can justify such act. The kids are just on their formative years and can’t make informed decisions. I think
parents that involve in such lack sense of responsibility and vision... Parents should be responsible for their kids and not vice versa. The dangers include; deprivation of education which is a form of empowerment, exposure to sexual abuse, development of thuggery activities, kidnapping for rituals or trafficking for body organ usage, exposures to various infections (like pneumonia, malaria, HIV, e.t.c) and psychological and emotional defeat among other kids and peers” “Possible solutions could include; re-orientation for kids and parents, adequate empowerment of parents, registration of such kids into formal educative schools, employing the service of genuine social workers in collaboration with government and NGOs with the aim to rehabilitate scheme, more donors towards achievement of goals, after few years of progress, the government puts and enforces a law that bans or prohibits child begging with remarkable penalty and adverts/advocacy campaign against such act should be launched”
One of the parents whose child was hawking had this to say; “work na work, and person need to survive. E no get where bad things no dey happen, but na God dey keep person. As government say we must buy shop, where they want make we see the money?” Apart from children young adults and adults also engage in hawking for various reasons.In a visit to some of the motor parks in Nigerian cities, some ingenious youths expressed their views on their efforts to resist economic hardships. Kabiru, an 18-year old boy, explained that he lost his father two years ago. With no job for his mum and as the first child out of four, he has to take up the responsibility to fend for the family. Through trading, he has seen himself through secondary school. Another woman, who sells plantain chips at a motor park in Ibadan explained “I come from Gbongan everyday to sell chips here at Ibadan.” Gbongan is one of the towns in Osun state, while Ibadan is the capital city of Oyo state. “I am not restricted to a particular area because there are needs, demands and responsibilities to be met at home,” she said. Chukwudi Obi, 23, had to halt his university studies when his parents could no longer pay his fees after their retirement. He resorted to selling headphones, car chargers, and other electronics on the road. “I was in my second year when my parents lost their jobs. This made me stop my University education to settle for electronics hawking. I believe that as much as there is life, there is hope; there is much to be enjoyed after struggle,” Obi quipped. With no end in view to this manner of trading, will the legislation be reviewed in favour of these ones? Or will they be totally scrapped from Nigerian roads? The answer still hovers in space.