The radio drama was designed to address the issue of child trafficking by informing parents and community members about the practice of child trafficking and about preventive measures they can take to ensure the health and safety of their children. According to PMC, it is important to address the root cause of child trafficking. The drama, therefore, raises not only issues of child trafficking and exploitation, but also deals with child education, child health, and children's rights in general. It also looks at the link between child trafficking and exploitation and related poverty-inducing factors such as unplanned parenthood and HIV/AIDS; one of the main focuses of the drama is family planning. The drama revolves around a central character, a young boy named Kokari, who grows up in extreme poverty and decides to leave home without his parent's consent in search of a better life.

To produce the series, the Population Media Center country office in Niamey, Niger worked in collaboration with Initiative Jeunes, a non-governmental youth-focused organisation. The programme was produced in Hausa, which is the most commonly spoken language in Niger. The programme was distributed via satellite by First Voice International to 73 radio stations, of which 69 were community radio stations, three were rural radio stations, and one was a national radio station (ORTN Voice of the Sahel). The programme, consisting of 144 episodes, finished its initial broadcast run on January 14 2007.

Click here to download a summary of episodes 1-30 in PDF format.

Click here to download a summary of episodes 31-37 in PDF format.

Children, Rights, Reproductive Health, Population, Poverty.

According to PMC, Niger’s current population is 14.6 million people, and it is growing exponentially. The country has the highest fertility rate in the world, with the average woman having 7.1 children in her lifetime. In addition, each year it is estimated that over 2 million children worldwide are taken from their homes by individuals seeking to exploit their labour. Children are commonly targeted for exploitative labour, because they are more easily forced to work for little or no pay and are less likely to demand higher wages or better working conditions. Extreme poverty, sometimes combined with the death of one or both parents, makes children highly vulnerable to false promises of education, vocational training, paid work, or other opportunities.