By Gom Mirian
According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), toxic e-waste affects the health of more than 18 million children and adolescents, as well as 12.9 million women in the developing world globally.
Scraps for survival
It is a Tuesday morning, about 8:15am, in Sabon Gari, Kano State, Nigeria’s northwest region. Abubakar Yusuf cheerfully moves with a truck leaning on one hip from one rubbish dump to another. This is what he does, with his brother, to eke a living.
The 15 year old, an indigene of Kano State, lives with his parents who depend on him to put food on their table. Daily, he wades through the pile of waste to collect scraps of metal, plastic and any other item that can fetch him some naira. Abubakar is a scavenger, known in local parlance as ‘mai bola’. He also sweeps shops and other places for a fee.
“I am in JSS 3 and have been scavenging for nine years; I began this with my father when I was six, ” he said in a chat with African Health Report, “As the family’s first child, I do this to help my mother, who is unemployed, get by.”
“The amount of money I make from this varies; some days, I make up to N1000; other times, I make more money than if I sweep some shops before packing the rubbish,” he said while dragging the truck away from the dumps.
But Abubakar, who claimed to be in JSS 3, was scavenging during school time. When our reporter questioned him about it, he responded, “I will still go to school once I dump this round of waste.”
Abubakar’s focus is on generating enough funds to take care of his family. He appears to be unmindful of the health implication of his occupation on his health, that of his family, classmates and other people who he shares his life with. For the past nine years, he has been doing this job to survive, a contravention of the Child Right Act, which has been passed into law by the Kano State government.
Abubakar is just one of the many boys in the state who have turned to scavenging as a primary source of income, while ignoring the negative effects on their health.
Hauwa Adamu sells boiled maize to many people who buy and eat them while standing on the dumpsite every day, but she is not a mai-bola.
When questioned about the health effects of inhaling the odor from the dumps, the 10-year-old said she was not aware of any and responded in her native Hausa language, “I don’t sell here alone.”
The initial point of contact for all dignitaries entering the country is the Airport Road in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), which leads to the capital city of Nigeria. Along this road lies a sizable trash dump.
During the rainy season, the residents who live on the edge of the dump, try to earn a living by scouring through rotting rubbish, plastic bags, and sewage for discarded things they can sell.
People who live close to these dumps frequently experience discrimination, in addition to the everyday struggle to survive. The overwhelming odor permeates everything when you live and work in a garbage dump. They are labelled as people who don’t fit into “normal” society.
“It is very dirty and there is a bad smell. I know there are very bad diseases that I can catch here. I am afraid of being cut by broken bottles, nails or syringes.” Kabiru, one of the scavengers at Car Wash junction along Airport Road, said.
Channel for transmitting communicable diseases…
Dr. Laz Eze, a public health physician and sustainable development expert, while responding to enquiries on the impact of scavenging of dumpsites by youngsters, said they are exposed to several health hazards. Additionally, he said, they stand the risk of stepping on or touching sharp items, which might cut them, as well as contacting infectious diseases.
He said, “They are at risk of having tetanus, diarrhea, typhoid, pneumonia, and other infectious diseases. They may transfer communicable diseases to their classmates or teachers in school. If not treated timely and effectively, diseases from dump sites can lead to death.”
Dr. Eze, who is also the CEO, TalkHealth9ja and founder of the MakeOurHospitalWork campaign, proposed that states should pass proper waste management laws that would be practiced at the municipal and neighborhood levels.
“Waste management is a constitutional function of LGAs. Health Committees should be established in communities, and they’re to create awareness of proper waste segregation. Wastes should be cleared from designated collection points and recycled or managed sustainably. With this done, humans shall be saved from many infectious diseases,” he stated.
“Children should not be on the street in the first place”
Due to high poverty level in the society, some people live close to dumpsites. They are more susceptible to violence, sexual abuse and even rape. However, because of access to funds and healthcare, they have nowhere to turn to for assistance or medical treatment.
On the continent, studies have revealed that this is not ‘only’ happening in Nigeria; underaged people gather trash under unsanitary conditions in other nations including Kenya, Ghana and Sierra Leone, to survive.
To address this problem, the United Nations and its member states came together in 1989 and adopted the Child Rights Act (CRA), which guarantees that each child’s right to life and the satisfaction of their most basic needs is guaranteed without any form of discrimination.
In an interview with Africa Health Report during a dialogue organised by the Child Rights Information Bureau (CRIB), Federal Ministry of Information and Culture in collaboration with UNICEF on the five years country’s programme and the status of the implementation of the Child Right Law in the states, the Child Protection Specialist for UNICEF’s Kano office, Hajia Fatimah Adamu, stated that the Child Rights Act protects children, even those who are living on the streets.
“Children should not be on the street in the first place, let alone fend for themselves. The role of protection which includes access to services is for duty bearers. They and the government.
“Except for Bauchi state, which has not yet passed, 35 states in Nigeria, including the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), have ratified the Child Rights Act.
“There are different reasons hindering the execution of the Act but first, there is a need to develop an implementation plan and associate policies for states who have passed.”
The government has to do more to provide a cover for children to enjoy their childhood and grow under the protection of competent caregivers and the government. The implementation of the Child Rights Acts must be strictly done to ensure that children stay in school to get an education and not be at work making a living for themselves and families.
