Child street hawking as a form of child labour: a complex tapestry of cultural and personal influences on parental decisions

Child street hawking is prevalent in Nigeria and has been widely researched from an economic perspective. However, existing research has overlooked the cultural dimensions of this phenomenon. Therefore, this study explored the cultural and personal factors shaping parental views on child street hawking in Osogbo, a Yoruba city in southwestern Nigeria, with the aim of understanding the phenomenon and informing interventions. An exploratory research design was used, and face-to-face in-depth interviews were conducted with 32 participants who were purposively selected in four popular marketplaces, which were randomly selected within Osogbo. The participants were parents who permitted their children to engage in street hawking. Reflexive thematic and content analyses were applied to the data. The study found that child street hawking represents a culturally significant practice in Yoruba society, serving as a symbol of responsibility, practical skills development, money management, a form of social investment, a conduit for instilling entrepreneurial values, a symbol of answered prayers, and a contemporary expression of traditional values on children’s economic roles, among other cultural meanings. The study concludes that child street hawking is a complex phenomenon, shaped by both cultural and personal factors, and that cultural analysis is essential for understanding its broader implications and informing policies and interventions.