REPORTER: UCHE NDEKE
Twenty nine minors apprehended for hawking during school hours in Anambra State have been handed over to the Police Command in the state for profiling.
They were handed over to the police by the Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development.
Correspondent Uche Ndeke reports the ministry also handed over seven adults accused of engaging minors for financial gains to the police for interrogation.
The minors were arrested in Otolo Nnewi , Nnewi North Local government area in a string operation for hawking wares that include sachet water, fruits, meat and confectionaries.
The arrest is part of the efforts of Anambra State government to combat street hawking, human trafficking and other forms of child exploitation.
In an interview, the Commissioner for Women Affairs and Social Welfare, Mrs Chinyere Onyekesi said that the ministry was alerted about the disturbing engagement of some minors in Nnewi North Local government area in hawking,while their mates are in school.
She frowned at the practice of exploiting children by some adults in some parts of the state for monetary gains, stressing that the government was committed to ending the practice
The Commissioner emphasised that the government would seek diligent prosecution of individuals involved in the act especially those behind the Nnewi incident in accordance with the child rights law.
The Commissioner of Police in Anambra State Ikioye Orutugu, reiterated the Command’s commitment to protecting children and other vulnerable persons from all forms of abuse and exploitation.
He emphasised that child labour and street hawking expose children to serious risks, including trafficking, abuse, neglect, and other criminal activities, assuring that anyone found culpable will be investigated and prosecuted in accordance with the law.
The Commissioner urged parents, guardians, and other individuals to refrain from engaging children in hazardous labour or exposing them to the dangers associated with street hawking.
