RESEARCH PROPOSAL TOPIC:

THE EFFECT OF STREET TRADING ON CHILDREN’S EDUCATION IN

FREETOWN: CASE STUDY SUSAN’S BAY.

BY

JOSHUA N.O MOIJUEH AND ABISODU C. R RANDALL

BACKGROUND AND PROBLEM STATEMENT

Freetown the capital city of Sierra Leone, over the last two decades has seen
the migration of people from the interior (Provinces) to the city Freetown in
search of better life that cannot be found in the provinces. Due to this, some
parents result in establishing a private own businesses in achieve that
dream. But for the others who can’t afford that huge sum to start up a
private own business, they prefer to take loan from micro credit financial
institutions or take goods from bigger shops and sell just to get their daily
food. In order to meet the family needs, most parents had to send their
children to the street in assisting to sell different types of products to
sustain their needs. In relation to this, the city streets has seen many kids
both boys and girls rambling about selling all sort of products instead of
being in school to learn.

The activity of street trading has become a problem that alerted authorities
to put halt to it but it was short leave. Many children find it as a hobby due
to the petty cash they get, and lack interest in going to schools. For others
after hours selling, they get exhausted when they are in schools and pay
little or no attention to what they are been thought. In some cases, others
developed bad habits like stealing, fighting, using abusive languages,
disrespect elders, prostitution, drug intake, and sometimes even leave their
homes to stay in the street and even grow into adulthood while on the
streets.

In Sierra Leone, children most often leave home because they are fleeing
from instability or have been rejected and abandoned by their families for
various reasons: (disabilities, disease or disobedience) many of the children
left their homes to flee domestic violence, abusive relatives or neglectful
families. Others have done so because their families live in severe economic
distress, either in rural villages or city slums and are vulnerable to care for
them. (Don Bosco 2010).

The 2007 Child Right Act in Sierra Leone clearly made provisions for the
right of the child. The Act states that every child has the right to life to grow
and develop. Every child has the right to live with his/her parent. The act
also maintains that the child has the right to live in dignity and be treated
with respect. The act provided for every child to have the right to special
care, education and support.

Children found on the street are referred to the Family Support Unit (FSU) of
Sierra Leone Police, the Freetown City Council and the Ministry of Social
Welfare, Gender and Children’s Affairs and other child protection agencies.
With the tireless work by the FSU, Ministry of Social Welfare, Gender and
Children’s Affairs, and other Child Protection Agencies, the problem is yet to
be solved. Street children are common to see in this part of the country.
They sell in high motor ways when they should be in school; some get
crashed down by motor vehicles all in the name of making money. Female
children are married out the age of fifteen years (Centre for Justice, Peace
and Human Rights).

The Ministry of Social Welfare together with other child protection

organizations have the responsibility to cater for them, but the impact is
hardly felt as these children are seen roaming trading about when they
should be in schools with proper home care. Over the years much has been
done by various governments to improve the lot of this category of children,
but the challenge is still alive and the number of street trading which
involves children in the country is on the increase, and has serious effect on
their education.

SCOPE AND OBJECTIVE OF THE STUDY

The scope of this study is to identify the effect of street trading on children’s
education in Freetown, using Susan’s Bay community as a case study. The
objective of this research is to prove the following:

1. To know the causes of Child street trading

2. To know the effect of street trading on Children’s education
3. To know the policy that prohibit Children from street trading
4. To proffer recommendations in addressing Child street trading

RESEARCH QUESTIONS

Central to this work is the need to answer research questions with the
context effect of street trading on Children’s education in Freetown, using
Susan’s Bay community as case study.

1. What are the reasons for Child Street trading?

2. What are the effects of Street trading on Children’s education?
3. What policy or law is there to address street trading that affects
Children’s education?
 4. What are the appropriate recommendations to resolve these issues?

LITERATURE REVIEW

This chapter set out to identify, from existing literature on the effect of street
trading on Children’s education, potential answers to the research
questions; that is: What are the reasons for Child Street trading? What are
the effects of Street trading on Children’s education? What policy or law is
there to address street trading that affects Children’s education? What are
the appropriate recommendations to resolve these issues? Consequently,
review of literature will be limited to some of the few available research
findings across the world by comparing and establish one possible solution
which can be used by the Government of Sierra Leone and other Western
African countries in combating Child Street trading that affects the child’s
education. The study will also make use of thesis, reports, magazines,
journals, and Internet articles.

RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

This chapter is concerned with the methodology that will be adopted for
gathering data, that is through desk reviews, personal interviews, and
administering questionnaires. The methodology will discuss under the
following; study area, research population, sample and sampling technique,
research instrumentation, data collection, and data analysis.