Prostitution and poverty in children

This week, I will like to discuss what I consider to be a big problem in our society, prostitution and poverty. These are two issues that are closely related. You may wonder why I said they are closely related. The reasons are many, but I will highlight some of them.

Firstly, when children go to school, they are attracted to what their classmates have. And so, they become covetous and long to have these things. They know quite well that their parents cannot provide these things for them, they then succumb to peer pressure because they know their parents can not get them that latest N5,000 shoes or bag, forgetting that when they leave school, they can always get things worth more than that when they start work.

Sometimes, with their unsatisfied character, the male children could join bad company while the females get into the hands of ritualist or they get impregnated, which may lead to abortion with serious implications on their lives in future.

Secondly, when some parents cannot cater for their children and it is difficult providing them with three square meals a day, some out of anger and frustration can go into prostitution, to be precise “Child Prostitution.”

I once read a book by Anna Darbo “Faceless;” it was a story that talked about child prostitution. This book exposed how some parents sell their children to the street Lords who are old enough to be their father and collect small amount of money to feed themselves and the rest of their family, without putting into consideration that there is risk of being infected and also making their child to be exposed to a wayward lifestyle.

In addition, it is advisable for our poor family not to have too many children; it is better to have few they can cater for so as not to make the children suffer.

Our parents owe us a duty of providing for our basic needs – feeding, clothing, education, safe keeping and the rest, our life depend on them and I pray that God will continue to provide and make a way for them because I know that no parents will want to have his or her child becoming wayward and also be a prostitute.

My advice to my fellow teens is that the fact that our parents are incapable of providing for some of our basic needs does not warrant us to sell out ourselves as touts and prostitutes, we should all know that all fingers are not equal, we should be contented with what we have and could also see what we can do apart from going into prostitution.

IKEOLUWAPO OLUBANJO