Hadid kilo in Chad: how scrap trade exploits children
Hadid kilo in Chad: how scrap trade exploits children
The scrap metal trade known as ‘Hadid kilo’ in N’Djamena is pushing minors into theft, sparking urgent calls from families and officials for intervention.
In N’Djamena’s streets and neighborhoods, the echo of street vendors pushing carts overflowing with scrap metal is unmistakable. Their rhythmic cries of « Hadid kilo ! Hadid kilo ! »—meaning « iron by the kilo »—have become a daily soundtrack. What started as a modest recycling activity has snowballed into a lucrative trade, one that is increasingly drawing minors into its dangerous cycle.
Many of these vendors operate without proper permits or residency documents, often hailing from neighboring countries like Niger and Nigeria. Their goal? To amass quick cash before returning home. Yet this shadow economy is exacting a hidden cost—one paid by the city’s most vulnerable: its children.
Children drawn into theft by quick cash
Reports from across N’Djamena reveal alarming patterns. In the Ngabo district, a 10-year-old boy sold his mother’s gas cylinder to a scrap dealer for just 600 FCFA. In Ndjari, an 8-year-old parted with his younger brother’s bicycle for 250 FCFA. In Zafaye, another child sold a component from his father’s car engine for 1,000 FCFA.
Parents and community members describe a growing trend: children trading stolen household items for meager sums, driven by the promise of fast money. The scrap metal trade, they argue, is normalizing theft among youth and fostering a culture of opportunism that threatens both family stability and social order.
A call for urgent action
Residents are demanding decisive steps from authorities. Their demands are clear: prohibit the purchase of scrap metal from children, enforce strict licensing for street vendors, and strengthen oversight in markets and residential areas. The goal? To dismantle the infrastructure that enables this exploitation and protect children from slipping into a cycle of crime and poverty.
Observers warn that if left unchecked, this phenomenon could erode educational opportunities and push a generation toward a bleak future. The time for intervention is now—before more children are lost to the lure of quick cash and the streets.