Children ‘forced’ to sell items on the streets

By PETER ESILA
A YOUTH officer says children who are selling on the streets of Port Moresby are forced to do so by older youths.
Rex Buka, youth coordinator from the National Capital District Commission, says the older youths get goods from Asian shops and give them to the younger ones to sell.
He said a survey spearheaded by NCDC and World Vision in 2015 showed these children had a network in the city and most of them were homeless and relied on their fellow homeless to see the day pass by.
“We also realise that some older youths use them like give them marijuana to sell on the streets, they threaten them but somehow they become friends and the smaller ones look up to them,” Buka said.
“To them, this is not like threatening but it is a friendly relationship they have but we see it as abuse, they are using them for commercial purposes.
“Not only marijuana but they give them items like eyeglass or socks or things like that, normally you will see them at 4-Mile.
“If they sell and get K100, they give them K20, they just do their selling to get their 10 per cent.”
Buka said once the younger ones grew up, their mindsets begin to change and they start to question their identity and parents.
“The sad situation is that the very kids who are 10, 11, 12, 13 years old are the ones who we need to really properly address.
“Somewhere, -we know that the parents are there – the parents exist and also their family guardians, wantoks, aunties, uncles – they are there … just that they are mistreated so they come out or the child feels that he is lost and then gradually they tend to come out on the streets.”
Buka said some call themselves vision boys, (those who hang around Vision City), some at 4-Mile, Hohola and even down town.