Street Vending and Child Care: Impending Disaster? | Chapter 05 | Current Research in Education and Social Studies Vol. 1
Children of street vending mothers are
exposed to hazardous risks from the vending environment, for example, air
pollution, noise pollution, and lack of sanitary resources. However, street
vending provides an opportunity for mothers to support the basic needs of their
children. Lack of adequate resources and alternative care for children force
some mothers to take alongside their children to the street vending business on
a daily basis, therefore, compromising their safety and wellbeing. The vending
vocation is mostly dominated by women across the world due to modernisation and
socio-economic changes (Ntseane, Solo 2007). The author’s previous study in
Gaborone provided a background to the issue of women street vendors and the
care of children under the age of seven (7) years. The findings revealed that
children are vulnerable to various risk factors (Sekgabo, 2006). For these
caregivers, provision of quality care means taking the child with them to the
business, being certain that the child ate something during the day, that the
child is adequately dressed, and ensuring that the child is on the caregiver’s
radar during the day. This paper therefore, explores the risks that children
whose caregivers take to the street vending business are exposed to and proposes
inter-professional interventions for the provision of alternative care for
children.
Author(s) Details
Maria
Boitumelo Sekgabo
Department
of Social Work, University of Botswana, Botswana.
Kgosietsile
Maripe
Department
of Social Work, University of Botswana, Botswana.
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