NCWS Kebbi Demands Ban on Teenage Street Hawking Over Safety, Morality Concerns

The Kebbi State chapter of the National Council for Women Societies (NCWS) has called for a total ban on street hawking by teenage girls, warning that the practice exposes them to sexual exploitation, child labour, and early transactional sex.

Speaking to journalists, Hajiya Hadiza Muhammed Kola, the State President of NCWS, expressed deep concern over the growing trend of young girls roaming the streets in the name of supporting their families.

“It is troubling that young girls are left to roam the streets in the name of supporting their families. In many cases, this leads to prostitution, rape, and child labour,” she said. 

The women's advocacy group confirmed it is in active discussions with the Kebbi State House of Assembly to introduce a bill that would outlaw street trading by underage girls. According to Kola, the proposed law would include strict penalties for defaulters as a means to curb the widespread issue.

“We are proposing a law that will impose tough penalties on defaulters to serve as a deterrent,” she added.

Challenging the widespread belief that poverty is the only reason girls end up on the streets, Kola cited success stories of women who have leveraged government empowerment programs, such as home gardening initiatives, to lift their families out of hardship without compromising their daughters’ safety.

“Many mothers have benefitted from state-backed programs and no longer need to send their daughters out to hawk,” she said.