Reality Zone" The ‘kayayei phenomenon’: Are we losing the battle?
If there were any social battle that may have missed attention, it is that of child porters or what we refer to in local parlance as “Kayayei.”
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They seem to be all over, suggesting some laxity on our part to keep the lid tight on the migration of young girls from the north to the south to serve as “Kayayei”.
Observations
Over the last two Saturdays, my observations in two areas in the city have left me in a pensive mood. Is the business thriving? On the Kwame Nkrumah Avenue, close to the Cocobod Office with close proximity to the Central Police Station, I found a congregation of “Kayayei”, some carrying children, who had virtually taken over the walkways.
It seemed to me that these girls hang out at the location in anticipation of clients. As I watched them in slow traffic, it struck me that we were looking at an unfortunate wasting away of a generation .
They seemed comfortable hanging around in their numbers as some were patronising cooked rice which was being sold in the open. Others were fixing their hair in braids as others looked on relaxed sitting in the head pans they use in carrying loads.
My second observation was at the UTC area heading towards the Princess Marie-Louise Children’s Hospital. It was late evening and again in slow traffic. Suddenly, a horde of young girls appeared from nowhere walking in groups.
A friend who was with me suggested that they had closed from the day’s duties and were heading home to Agbobloshie. Some of the girls could not have been more than 12 years old.
Both observations are quite worrying. What must be attracting these young girls to trek down in such numbers leaving their families behind? Why are the girls abandoning the free education they are privileged to have in the north and ignorantly heading for the south?
National phenomenon
“Kayayei” is a national phenomenon that needs attention to be focused on the roots before they completely overwhelm us. The girls are putting their health and lives in danger each day as they go out there to work. At their age, they lift and carry heavy loads all day for five to six days a week. They eat and sleep rough, sometimes at the risk of getting raped or defiled by gangsters and some getting robbed of their earnings.
Some of them get knocked down by vehicles and truck pushers . The case of a “Kayayei” who was knocked down and killed around the UTC area late last year comes to mind. Theirs is a risky life thrown out there at that tender age to fend for themselves and possibly their families back home in the north.
The rate at which things are going, we should begin to institute deterrent measures to curb what could become a major threat a few years down the line.
In addition to whatever measures that the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection may have on their agenda, the situation calls for urgent concerted focus with clear and actionable plans to address the migration of these young girls to the south. There does not seem to be any future ahead for them.
Collaboration
We need the various state and private agencies to work together with the Ministry to nip every stage of the migration in the bud. The Ghana Police Service has a critical role to play and so does the Ghana Private Road and Transport Union (GPRTU) whose services are used in transporting the girls down south.
The District Education Service directorates and the assemblies all have roles to play in ensuring a better future for the young girls back home in the northern part of the country.
Our laws should begin to bite parents who decide that their girls drop out of school and rather assist them to migrate to the south to make money from the “Kayayei” business.
The girls themselves should be made to know that the job of “Kayayei” is not in their interest. What happened to child right activists? Are we all perpetrating child labour by looking on passively?
We should even go further to impose fines on those who engage the services of “Kayayei”. If there is no job for them, surely, they would not drift down to the cities.
We need to build a future generation of young educated mothers for the development of families and communities, especially in the rural areas.
The phenomenon of young girls trooping to the south as “Kayayei” defeats our aim to get girls into the classroom and empower women for a better society.
Writer's email: [email protected].
