The Government Delegate to the Yaounde City Council has issued a communiqué to that effect.
That season of the year has come again when kids are seen all over the streets selling groundnuts, sweets, “Bitter Kola” and all sorts of edible and non-edible goods in small quantities.
The scene is pathetic as one will usually see a child aged less than ten around junctions in public places and certain streets in the city of Yaounde.
The release notes that the Yaounde City Council has observed, with dismay, the resurgence of this mobile petty trade carried out by minors on public highways without regards to their physical security.
While sharing the preoccupations of parents to offer their children a hitch-free back-to-school, the Government Delegate to the Yaounde City Council, Gilbert Tsimi Evouna, has again used this holiday period for many pupils and students to remind everybody that trading along the public highway is a dangerous activity particularly for minors who are exposed to other ills.
According to the Government Delegate, the act is punishable by rules and regulations in force. Moreover, he warns that persons violating such rules are exposed to seizure of their goods.
While the Government Delegate counts on the civic responsibility of all and sundry, the Forces of Law and Order at the Ekounou neighbourhood in Yaounde have not left any stone unturned in a bid to protect kids in the locality.
Recently, a score of children, who were hawking around Ekounou with different items, were called and kept by the police while waiting for their parents.
This is a major action to protect and promote the rights of children during such periods when parents think they have all the time and must contribute to their wellbeing.
The situation is rampant now and calls for concern. As early as 6:00 am, children of both sexes below 10 years are seen in all the nooks and crannies in most towns in the country trying to sell goods of all sorts.
Some of the children are so small that at times the tray of goods which they usually carry on their head overshadows them.
Sad to note that some of them do not even know the difference between the different CFA coins or banknotes. As such, when somebody buys from them, they are forced to ask an elder child amongst them what they should give back as difference.
The situation is pitiful as the kids are forced to stay out, at times under the rain because they want to sell all their goods before going home so as not to be punished by their parents or guardians.
The Director of the Promotion and Protection of the Family and the Rights of Children, Pierre-Marie Akem, says the Ministry of Women’s Empowerment and the Family has vehemently opposed to the phenomenon and is preparing to address families in the country.
He noted that the occurrence is contrary to the rights of children and the risk involved in it is far greater than the gain.
Pierre-Marie Akem explained that it is not just about child labour but also the dangers the children are exposed to which at times they do not tell their parents.
