Gender Minister Says Street Vending by Children Not Necessarily Child Labor, Calls for Assessment

By Makutu Manneh

Fatou Kinteh, Minister of Gender, Children, and Social Welfare, has said children selling goods on the streets should not automatically be classified as engaging in child labor, although she acknowledged that the practice exposes them to significant risks and requires government intervention.

Speaking during a special ministerial town hall dialogue with children, Kinteh called for an assessment of the circumstances of children engaged in street vending, particularly those selling items such as mints and water.

“I think one thing we can do as a country is to conduct an assessment. Those who sell mint in the streets, let’s visit their homes and assess the home conditions,” she said. “If it is due to poverty, we have a strong social protection programme that can be extended to those families so that their children can stay at home and go to school.”

Kinteh said child labor generally involves work that is hazardous or interferes with a child’s education, welfare, and overall well-being.

While distinguishing street vending and child labor, the minister acknowledged that children selling goods on the streets could be exposed to violence and other dangers. She said she does not support the practice, stressing that children are better protected at home and should be attending school or a dara.

Kinteh also distinguished street vending from children occasionally helping their parents with family businesses or agricultural activities.

She said children assisting on family farms during school holidays or helping in a parent’s shop in the evenings should not necessarily be considered child labor, describing such activities as part of socialization within the Gambian context.

“I have a shop; in the evenings or during vacation, my child supports me in the shop so that he knows where the money feeding him comes from. You don’t consider that as child labor,” she said.

Kinteh said her ministry plans to work with the Ministry of Trade, other relevant government institutions, and the Gambia Bureau of Statistics to assess the circumstances of children selling goods on the streets.

She clarified that the assessment would not target children who occasionally assist their parents on family farms.