Only Police Arrest Can Stop Child Hawking In PH – NAWOJ Boss

The Rivers State Chairman of the Nigerian Association of Women Journalists (NAWOJ), Mrs Lilian Okonkwo-Ogabu, has said that arresting children hawking  in the streets of Port Harcourt remains the only solution to the use of children for hawking in the open air.
In an interview with The Tide’s Women Desk recently, on the activities of her association within the last three years, the Women Journalists’ leader, remarked that ensuring an end to child hawking in the state is one of the projects of the association of women journalists under her watch.
She condemned the act of using some children to hawk while their mates learn in classroom and called on the State government to be more proactive now than ever in getting child hawkers out of the streets and highways in Port Harcourt.
In her words, “I am not satisfied with the spate of children hawking in the streets. Of course parents may drag feet in compliance with government’s directive to withdraw these children from the streets, we expect social welfare workers to swing into action”.
Insisting on the arrest of defaulters, she said, “in Lagos when children are seen hawking in the street during school hours, they are arrested. I am calling for that in Rivers State. Government should set up a body that will arrest children hawkers so it will serve as a deterrent to parents”.
Advising parents in this regard, Mrs Okonkwo-Ogabu said although times are hard, yet the challenges far atweigh what anyone would consider as gain after all. She charged them to weigh the danger the child is exposed to by hawking in the street vis-à-vis the expected proceed from such venture, stating that it is not worth the Psychological trauma and the pains if the child  incidentally, gets abused.
Her words, “every child is entitled to education, and good health. Parents must wake up to the child right law. When you push them out there in the street, you negate the child’s right”.
It will be recalled that the child right law of the Federal Republic of Nigeria forbids the use of under-aged children to hawk goods.

Sylvia ThankGod-Amadi