More underage put at risk
Every child must be in school from 8.00am-2.00pm. This is the message on the cover of the pamphlet, “Yellow Card for Child Abuse”, launched a couple of years ago, as a sensitisation tool on children’s rights by the Lagos State government, with the Ministry of Women Affairs and Poverty Alleviation (WAPA) as promoters.
Besides setting out to promote and enforce the right of every child living in Lagos to minimum education, the campaign also aims at discouraging the practice whereby underage children are used for hawking in the streets either by their parents or guardians. Other rights guaranteed under the Lagos child’s rights law which came into effect in May, 2007, include right to life, survival and name, protection, freedom of thought and conscience, freedom from discrimination, and many others. A child as defined under the law is any person below 18 years.
In the yellow card, specific reference is made to hawking by children especially during school hours (8.00am to 2.00pm) as highly prohibited in Lagos. The following reasons are adduced in the card to justify the prohibition of hawking by children in the state: exposure to the danger of kidnapping, rape or killing by moving vehicles.
The law goes further to state that any action taken concerning a child must be in his/her interest. In other words, before any decision is taken that would affect a child; his or her well being must be considered. The ultimate goal of the rights law, as espoused in the legislation, is to protect and groom children as future leaders of any nation.
The simplified summary of the child’s rights law published by WAPA, specifically states that, “if any of the rights is denied a child, the government will step in to enforce it and punish any offender”
Information further obtained by Cityfile from the ministry regarding the provisions of the law show that an offender risks a jail term or fine of N200,000 (Two Hundred Thousand Naira) or both upon conviction by the court.
However, the beautifully packaged law with regard to hawking appears to be suffering a setback going by the number of children seen on the roads hawking items such as sachet water (pure water) banana, carrot, orange, groundnut recharge cards and soft drinks.
Beyond hawking, several underage children have embraced the practice of cleaning windscreens of vehicles for a fee. They are seen on major roads, bridges and feeder roads during traffic jams where they meander through vehicles, risking their lives.
One of the kid hawkers accosted at Oshodi, said he was under compulsion by his aunty to sell daily in the streets. According to him, his daily hawking of sachet water is part of his own contribution to the family upkeep. Although he confirmed to be attending a public school, he nevertheless told Cityfile, that he lacked the time to do his home work, as he is made to hit the streets after lunch upon returning from school every day.
Another child hawker, Samuel Babagbemi, 10, lives with his uncle in Satellite town area of Lagos, and sells plantain chips at Abule-Ado on Lagos-Badagry expressway. In the case of Babagbemi, the business starts around 5.30pm when the road gets busy, with motorists trapped in traffic around Fin Niger/Abule-Ado bus stops. Robert stays on the road for as long as the traffic jam remains and this sometimes stretches into late night.
Findings by Cityfile show that little had so been done by the ministry of women affairs and poverty alleviation, and the security agencies to enforce the law. Adejoke Orelope-Adefulire, the Lagos State deputy governor, who supervises the WAPA, had severally warned that the government would come down heavily on offender of the child rights law.
“The time is now for the state government to strictly enforce the law to protect the future of children in the state. And we will be doing this through the issuance of the RED card. After the issuance, we will arrest anyone found committing the crime. After the arrest, we will investigate and if the person is found guilty, he or she would be prosecuted. And at that time, we will not listen to any plead from any quarters.
“We started advocacy to protect every child in Lagos many years ago. A child has the right to be born, educated, enjoy good health and so on. Anything contrary is an abuse and the state government is ready to enforce that the right of the child is respected. If you harass the child in anyway, especially sexual abuse, you will go to jail for seven years according to the Child Right Law.
It is against the law for anyone to deny a child the right to education, good life and freedom of association,” the deputy governor said during one of the enlightenment campaigns, to draw attention to the law,” the deputy governor said during a campaign in 2012 to sensitise the public about the law, which was followed by the launch of patrol buses to rescue the abused street children.
But since the launch in March 2012, incidence of child abuse and forced labour has not abated in the commercial city. Daily underage children are seen in the streets hawking, begging for, alms, mending shoes and other risky jobs during school hours.
By: JOSHUA BASSEY