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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