*MOTHERS, your CHILDREN are your RESPONSIBILITY*
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The face of a woman who is struggling to bear a child is one of frustration and gloom.
But after a child is born unto them, what next????
The telltale situation of such a mother and child unfolds.....
Take a read!!!
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Parents have a sacred duty and divine calling to protect their children from all harm and dangers. However, in recent times underage children are left unattended to on the streets and highways of this country; Ghana. These children are left to attend school and return home unaccompanied and without any special supervision irrespective of their age and vulnerability to the busy streets, highways, passing and approaching vehicles.
These children are seen struggling for seats in public buses, crossing roads and highways and escaping predators whereas mothers rush to work and expect to return home seeing their children safe and sound. Undoubtedly, no parent imagines losing his or her child to accident, child traffick or kidnap until reality dawns on them.
When I see the risks little children are exposed to, I begin to ask myself a deluge of questions and wonder
"Where are their parents, most especially their mothers?"
It is despicable that a mother will leave home for work, knowing that automatically their little child will go to and from school safe and sound. Ironically, we are in a country where road users adhere to road traffic regulations to the latter; obeying traffic signals, pedestrian crossing signs, road signs, to mention but few.
Good parenting is not all about providing food for the child, clothing, place of abode and enrolling them in a school.
Good parenting is seeking and championing the safety of your child irrespective of your work demands and overly busy schedules.
It was a heart bleeding experience barely a month ago, seeing two children of about ages 3 and 6 years, alight from a public transport and helplessly walk along the wrong side of the Legon- Madina highways with vehicles at top speed behind them without any assistance or guardian in sight.
These are innocent children who do not know that their lives are in danger.
These are vulnerable children whose parents are home or at their various workplaces waiting for their children to be home.
This is a driver who probably does not have any concern whatsoever with regards to the safety of the child hence, alighting them at a place which is not appropriate and safe.
But who is to blame? The mother, the child, the public transport driver or the society?
Why will we subject our children to such inhumane treatment and conditions? There have been various instances where children have been knocked down by oncoming vehicles. How sad it is, for the lives of such young ones to be cut short because of the negligence of their parents and society.
In some countries, when a child is spotted alone without any supervision, the child is picked up by the police and the parents are charged with child endangerment, risk of injury to a minor or child neglect. But what do we see in our country Ghana?
We have parents who will have thousands of excuses such as the demands of work, the short distance of the child’s school from home, the familiarity of the child with the route from home to school and vice versa, the developmental maturity of the child even when the child is age six(6), amongst others because they are aware the laws of the country will never take them on.
Nevertheless, my heart felt question to such parents especially to the mothers of the home is, “What shall it profit you if you gain all the wealth in this world and all the promotions at the workplace and lose the child whom you struggled to bear and nurture?”
Mothers, bear in mind that your child is your responsibility and as such you must be dutiful in this regard.
Mothers must teach and guide their children on road safety precautions to compliment what the children are taught in their schools.
Heads of various schools must ensure that children of tender ages are not allowed to report and leave school unattended to, without their safety being guaranteed. Parents must be made to sign “Safety Warrants or Plans” upon enrolling their children in school.
The police must be extremely concerned with child safety and the law must consider it an offence to leave a child unattended to or unaccompanied on the roads and highways of the country.
To you and I, let us take it as a responsibility to assist young children whom we see solely plying our roads. Let us offer them the assistance they deserve and need; for it will be sad that our young ones perish at the irresponsibility of our actions and inactions.
Children are our responsibility, Mothers are our pride. We all have a role to play in keeping our children safe. Mothers, it is by this that they can be kept alive to annually wish you a HAPPY MOTHERS DAY with love.
*NB. WOMEN OF LEGACY FOUNDATION WISH ALL WOMEN A HAPPY MOTHERS DAY AND RESPONSIBLE MOTHERHOOD……*
Joyce Ohenewaa Kwapong
Coordinator, Women of Legacy Foundation
(Activist, Women and Children)
University of Ghana, Accra City Campus
+233(0)267968373
joycekwapong@gmail.com
Read more on:
Ohenewaa-kwapong.blogspot.com
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