Liberian Child Hawkers Face Threats From Ritualist, Rapist

Gbarnga — They look fragile, forced onto the harsh streets to sell wares and earn money to provide for themselves and their family members. Although they are in their formative years, theirs is a tough kind of training. They are out on the streets daily, while their mates are in school, getting to terms with words and figures. This is the world of kid hawkers in Liberia - rough, uncertain and driven by the desire to survive. However, the woes of these children go beyond the hardship of meeting their daily sales target. Sometimes, the female ones encounter men who try to rape them. They also face threats from ritualists and kidnappers, they said.

Our Bong County correspondent spoke to a group of four girls hawking banana, smoked fish and plantain chips on the 'Gbarnga broad street'. They were shy and reluctant to speak when our correspondent asked if any man had made sexual advances to them in the course of their business. But after convincing them that their photos would not be taken, one of them named Tenapu, nudged another known as Peterma to narrate her experience about a month ago.

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