By Nasratu Kargbo
Many children across the country are homeless, some engaged in street trading instead of going to school, whilst others spend most of their nights fetching water, forfeiting sleep that would have put them in a better state to be ready for school the following morning, according to Members of Parliament during Debate.
The MPs made their passionate views known as they debated in the presence of the Presidential Nominee for the position of Deputy Commissioner of the National Children’s Commission, Henry Sheku so that the above-mentioned issues affecting children could be addressed.
Acting Leader of the Opposition, Alfred Ayodele Thompson said: “Our kids are on the street till two o’clock in the morning, waiting for taps to open to fetch water when they should be at home sleeping. All these places are where they get abused, molested, and raped”.
He said that there are children who sell on the streets at night, noting that with the free quality education in the country, the kids should be at home getting ready for school the next day. The MP asked that when approved, the nominee should ensure that children are protected.
Representing Moyamba District, Veronica Kadie Sesay explained that if one goes to the markets and other places at night, homeless children sleep on market stalls.
“Getting these children off the streets should be your paramount duty. Bring your plans, ideas, and expertise..”, Sesay urged the nominee.
According to a post on Street Child Education Sierra Leone’s (SCESL) LinkedIn account a month ago, the number of street children in the country has increased.
The post explained that it is extremely difficult to get an official or reliable statistics on the actual number of street children, due to the constant movement between districts.
“SCESL estimates that there are between 200,000 and 1,000,000 homeless children in the country” a part of the post reads. It says most of these homeless children are in the city and big towns, noting that their 2023 survey indicates two-thirds of the children are between 13-16 and one-fourth under 12.
Apart from Sheku, Parliament approved seven other presidential nominees including the Director-General and Deputy Director-General of Sierra Leone Ports Authority Yankuba A. Bio and Judith B. Kosseh respectively, and Executive Director of National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) Andrew J. KaiKai.
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