The number of children selling roasted peanuts to help
support their families is rising in the Mecanhelas district, southern Niassa,
north of Mozambique.
These are school-age children who are forced to take on
significant responsibilities to assist their families, like the case of the boy
Conte, who is sent by his mother to sell roasted peanuts on the street, in
order to buy food:
"It's my mother's peanuts. With the money, she helps
buy a little bowl of corn for food at home. I am in 3rd grade."
While some children engage in this activity under the
guidance of their parents, others are exploited in child labor schemes. This is
the case of Joaquim, a 13-year-old boy, who sells peanuts for someone else. The
boy mentioned he dropped out of the 6th grade at the Mangazi Primary School in
Insaca village:
"They send me. When all the peanuts are sold, they
pay me 50 meticais. I do this because of the suffering."
It should be noted that children are selling both during
the day and at night in public roads, bars, and other crowded places.
Adelaide Xavier, a guardian and retired teacher,
acknowledges that this situation is due to the increased vulnerability caused
by the hunger affecting families. However, she advises those responsible to
prioritize children's right to education. (Jaime
Paculeque)
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