Sierra Leone Police Warns Citizens of Child Street Trading
Salamatu Y. Kamara The Sierra Leone Police has called on citizens across the country to desist from engaging their children in street trading.
The police made this call in a street publicity, engaging parents and guardians on the negative effects of child street trading and the consequences of failing to obey.
According to one of the police officers, children are meant to be in school or at home, but it is the opposite for most children in Sierra Leone.
He further highlighted some of the negative effects of child street trading, including accidents, rape, teenage pregnancy, peer pressure in taking harmful drugs, etc.
He disclosed that the Sierra Leone Police will start arresting children found in the street selling, and they will identify their parents, who will be charged in court. He stated that children are not responsible for feeding the home.
For decades, child street trading in Sierra Leone has increased during the one-month holiday break from school, as parents see this as an opportunity for children to sell in order to buy their school items for the next academic year.