ABSTRACT

This study examined the prevalence of child hawking and its effect on educational development in Ekpoma, Edo State. Structured and unstructured questionnaires were used to collect information from respondents. The sample comprised 120 respondents drawn from different communities in Ekpoma town. The data were presented in chapter four, and the hypotheses were tested with the chi-square (χ²) statistical technique. The findings showed that the incidence of child hawking in Ekpoma is high and deserves serious attention. The study also found that single parenthood is associated with child hawking, and that child hawking affects children's academic and educational development. It is concluded that government and law enforcement agencies can reduce the rate of child hawking by enforcing the Child Rights Act.

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.1 Background to the Study

There is no single, generally accepted definition of child hawking. It is usually understood as the sale of goods or services by children, that is, persons under 18 years of age, on streets and in other public places, often at the direction of parents, guardians or other adults. It is one of the commonest forms of child labour in Nigeria. Child labour in general is work that deprives children of their childhood, harms their physical or mental development and interferes with their schooling. Child hawking can also amount to abuse. A narrow view of abuse focuses on severe physical violence or sexual assault, while a broader view includes neglect, exploitation and any treatment short of the care a child needs for health, survival and development. Whichever definition is used, an important question arises: are children, who are the future of any society, given the protection, comfort and opportunities that they deserve?

The Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended) guarantees the fundamental rights of every citizen in Chapter IV. The Child's Rights Act (2003) goes further by setting out the rights and responsibilities of children in Nigeria. Among other things, section 28 of the Act prohibits forced or exploitative labour of children (Child's Rights Act, 2003). The Act has been enacted into law in a majority of states, Edo State included (UNICEF Nigeria, n.d.). Even so, many children are exposed to the hazards of the street because of hawking, and this study examines the effect of child hawking on children's educational development.

Child labour is a global concern. The International Labour Organization (ILO) and UNICEF (2021) estimated that 160 million children, about 1 in 10 worldwide, were in child labour at the beginning of 2020, and that 79 million of them were in hazardous work. Progress against child labour had stalled for the first time in 20 years. In sub-Saharan Africa, population growth, extreme poverty and inadequate social protection added 16.6 million children to child labour over four years, and the region now has more children in child labour than the rest of the world combined (ILO & UNICEF, 2021). The report notes that child labour compromises children's education and tends to continue the cycle of poverty across generations.

In Nigeria, poverty is the main reason given for child hawking. Ugo (2024) describes child street hawking as an emerging public health concern in Nigeria that is driven mainly by poverty and by migration to urban areas in search of a livelihood, and he observes that it persists despite legislation because the law is poorly enforced and because traditional beliefs treat children as contributors to family income. Oluwagbohunmi and Owayin (2025) investigated the relationship between parental socio-economic status and street hawking among secondary school students in Ekiti State and describe hawking as a violation of children's right to education that leads to dropout, absenteeism and poor academic performance. Family structure also matters. In Ido Local Government Area of Oyo State, Banjo and Awotide (2019) found that parents and guardians most often named poor financial status, single parenthood and inability to provide for children's needs as causes of street hawking, and most agreed that implementation of the Child Rights Act would curb it. In Port Harcourt, Samuel (2024) found that lack of money to support children and the absence of a father figure were associated with single mothers' involvement of children in street hawking. A qualitative study in Ibadan likewise stressed the importance of family structure, resources and relationships in understanding why children are on the street, and it called for family-level interventions (Obimakinde & Shabir, 2023).

The consequences for education are well documented. Paul (2023) found that street hawking influenced the academic performance of junior secondary school students in Jos North Local Government Area of Plateau State. Children who hawk often miss lessons, arrive late or tire easily, and this can lead to poor performance in examinations and to dropping out (Ugo, 2024; Oluwagbohunmi & Owayin, 2025).

Studies exist on children who hawk, particularly in south-western and northern Nigeria, but relatively little is known about the practice in Ekpoma. This study therefore examines the prevalence of child hawking in Ekpoma and its effect on children's educational development, with attention to the dangers that children face and the causes behind the practice.

1.2 Statement of the Problem

Child hawking can harm young people in two main ways. First, a child who often misses school cannot benefit fully from education. This can lead to poor examination performance, and in some cases to examination malpractice by those who want a certificate at any cost. In the long run it produces poorly prepared graduates and raises the level of illiteracy, with consequences for the whole nation.

Second, child hawking may expose children to risks and to behaviour that is harmful to healthy citizenship. On the street, children may be exposed to accidents, harassment and abuse, and may be drawn into crime or other anti-social activities. Many government policies and laws have been introduced to deal with child hawking and child labour, but the practice persists, largely because of the low economic status of many Nigerian families and weak enforcement of the law (Ugo, 2024). Previous Nigerian studies link child hawking and children's education to the socio-economic circumstances of poor parents (Oluwagbohunmi & Owayin, 2025).

This study addresses the following questions. Why do parents engage their children in street trading and child hawking? What are the consequences for the children's education and development? Why have government policies not succeeded in ending it? By answering them, the study aims to suggest ways of reducing child hawking and its effects on children's development.

1.3 Objectives of the Study

The objectives of the study are to:

1. examine the causes of child hawking in Ekpoma;
2. examine the consequences of child hawking on children;
3. examine the relationship between child hawking and children's development; and
4. examine the relationship between child hawking and academic performance.

1.4 Research Questions

1. What are the causes of child hawking in Ekpoma?
2. What are the consequences of child hawking on children?
3. What is the relationship between child hawking and children's development?
4. What is the relationship between child hawking and academic performance?

1.5 Research Hypotheses

The following hypotheses guided the study:

1. There is a relationship between poverty and child hawking.
2. There is no relationship between polygamous family structure and child hawking.
3. There is a relationship between single parenthood and child hawking.

1.6 Scope of the Study

The study focuses on the effects and consequences of child hawking on children's development in Ekpoma, Edo State. It also examines the relationship between child hawking and development, and it considers government policies aimed at reducing child hawking in Ekpoma and in Nigeria at large.

1.7 Significance of the Study

Existing literature gives little information on child hawking and children's development in this part of Nigeria. The study is therefore important because it will reveal the pattern of child hawking in Ekpoma and show its relationship with education. It will also give government agencies, parents, schools and non-governmental organisations evidence on which to base policies and programmes, and it will provide a reference for researchers who wish to carry out similar studies in future.

1.8 Definition of Terms

1. Child: In this study, a young human being below the age of 18 years, in line with the Child's Rights Act (2003).
2. Street hawking: The sale of goods, foodstuffs or other items on the streets or in other public places by going from place to place.
3. Child labour: The use of children, for example by parents or guardians, for economic purposes in work that is harmful to their physical or mental development or that interferes with their schooling (ILO & UNICEF, 2021).
4. Child abuse: Any physical, emotional or social mistreatment of a child, including any act or failure to act that violates the child's rights or endangers the child's health, survival and development.
5. Educational development: The growth of a child's access to schooling, attendance, learning and academic achievement.

References

Banjo, O. K., & Awotide, D. O. (2019). Factors influencing street hawking among school-age children in Ido Local Government Area of Oyo State, Nigeria. Journal of Home Economics Research, 26(2). https://doi.org/10.66731/jher.v26i2.360

Child's Rights Act, No. 26 of 2003 (Nigeria).

International Labour Organization & United Nations Children's Fund. (2021). Child labour: Global estimates 2020, trends and the road forward. ILO and UNICEF. https://data.unicef.org/resources/child-labour-2020-global-estimates-trends-and-the-road-forward/

Obimakinde, A. M., & Shabir, M. (2023). The family dynamics of children on the streets of Ibadan, Southwest Nigeria. South African Family Practice, 65(1), Article a5774. https://doi.org/10.4102/safp.v65i1.5774

Oluwagbohunmi, M. F., & Owayin, C. K. (2025). Parental socio-economic status as correlate of street hawking among secondary school students in Ekiti State. Social Science Education Journal, 7(1).

Paul, Z. B. (2023). Influence of street hawking on the academic performance of students of junior secondary schools in Jos North LGA of Plateau State, Nigeria. Al-Hikmah Journal of Education, 10(1).

Samuel, A. R. (2024). Understanding the role of single motherhood in driving street hawking in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, Nigeria. Jos Journal of Social Sciences, 1(1).

Ugo, U. S. (2024). Impact of street hawking on children's academic wellbeing: A critical assessment. IDOSR Journal of Communication and English, 9(2), 7–11. https://doi.org/10.59298/IDOSR/JCE/92.711.202412

UNICEF Nigeria. (n.d.). Fact sheet: Child rights legislation in Nigeria. https://nigeriahealthwatch.com/wp-content/themes/NigeriaHealthWatch/resources/187.pdf