Street Hawking among Children: A form of Child Abuse Often Overlooked

Background: Despite efforts by the government to ensure that child labour is eradicated, children are still exposed to the menace of this abuse and other forms of abuse. This paper examined street hawking among children in Obio/Akpor L.G.A of Rivers State, Nigeria.

Methodology: This descriptive cross-sectional study used a purposive sampling method. 109 participants aged 10 - 17 years who hawked around two busy junctions in Obio/Akpor L.G.A Rivers State, Nigeria, were recruited for the study. An interviewer-administered questionnaire was used for data collection. Analysis was done with SPSS version 25.

Results: Participants comprised 109 child street hawkers, 67 (61.5%) female, 42 (38.5%) males. 72 (66.1%) of the participants lived with their parents, and more than half of their parents were traders. Reasons for hawking included the need to augment the family income, having lost a parent, and being forced by a guardian to hawk. 104 (95.4%) of the children reported not liking to hawk. 33 (30.3%) of the child street hawkers were school dropouts; more females, 27 (40.3 %), were school dropouts compared to their male counterparts, 6 (14.3 %). This sex difference was statistically significant (X2= 8.27, p= 0.004). Problems encountered while hawking included: accidents, loss of money and goods, exposure to harsh weather, low self-esteem, and sexual advances.

Conclusion: Street hawking among children is common despite its adverse effects on children. Education of the masses on the dangers of this menace is needed, and measures to alleviate poverty among the populace need to be radically pursued.