The real life experiences of Nigerian girl children indicate that the
current Global Economic Crisis (GEC) has worsened their situation. This
study examines the effects of GEC on the education of the girl-child and their
engagement in alternative jobs. Data were obtained from 1,200 female children
between 6–14 years of age, selected with a purposive random sampling-technique,
who were engaged in hawking in three Nigerian states. About twenty parents were
also selected to go through in-depth interview sessions. They responded to a semistructured
questionnaire. Findings show that 45% of girls had recently dropped
out of school and engaged in hawking to enhance their lives and that of their
family household, making an average daily gain of one U.S. dollar. They hawk
in crowded markets, hotels and at busy road junctions. There are reported cases
of child-sexual abuse. Four percent of girls performing paid housework were
impregnated, resulting in clandestine abortions. An improvement in the socioeconomic
conditions of parents and a social protection policy for girl-children are
recommended.