#THE TEEN GRIEVANCES

#TEENAGE HAWKING

Recently members of the public have expressed deep concern about the increase in the number of teenage hawkers in the streets of Ghana. I write this article to express my views on the issue and suggest some solutions.
These days it is very common to set eyes on teenagers roaming in the city streets and selling all types of items, from sweets to dog chains. One is puzzled at the first site but eventually reaches the sad conclusion that a good number of teenagers are pushed into hawking, not by their wish, but by circumstances.
First category of teenagers who engage in hawking is school dropouts who have no skills and find hawking to be a ready means of earning their livelihood. Second is teenagers who come from poor homes. This teenagers are under severe pressure by parents to engage in hawking as means of. Supplementing the family's needs. Thirdly teenagers who move from rural areas to the cities in search of jobs and better living conditions see hawking as the only means of earning a living, especially when they have no relations in the cities.

#DANGERS


The dangers involved in teenage hawking are obvious. Apart from risk of getting knocked down by moving vehicles there is also the possibility of teenagers getting entangled in immoral practices. For example, teenage girls, especially those who hawk from door to door, may be lured into sexual acts by unscrupulous men in return for money. This can result in teenage pregnancy which ruins the victims future. The boys, notably, those who live on their own, may take to street life, smoking, drinking, and engaging in all sorts of social vices. Perhaps most insidious is the fact that most teenage hawkers make a lot of money from their activities and they are hardly encouraged to go to school. Instead, they spend their earnings lavishly: they smoke, gamble, drink and are seen each night at video and cinema houses.

Considering the alarming rate of teenage hawking in our cities there is an urgent need to address the situation. In the first place one expects that the law on child labour should be strictly enforced. I suggest that members of the public will co-operate with the police and law- enforcement agencies to help remove teenage hawkers. Government should take measures aimed at reducing rural- urban drift. This can be than creating by job opportunities for young school leavers and providing social amenities in the rural areas. In addition, the department of welfare should come to rescue of school dropouts by offering them vocational training in areas such as basket weaving, cane chair making, kente weaving among others.
I believe , one the teenagers have acquired marketable skills, the pressure to engage in hawking will be reduced. The department should also organise educational campaigns to create public awareness on the dangers of teenage hawking. I also believe that, if parents or guardians who force their children into are prosecuted and fined, the practice of teenage hawking will reduce.

Kindly provide me with more ideas or solutions to curb this canker. By commenting. And please don't forget to upvote me.