15 September 2006
editorial
IT is encouraging to see efforts being made either to rehabilitate runaway children, also called street kids. Gestures to help them with requisites such as food and clothing are also good. But what is really needed is to find a solution to what is causing this explosive problem of street kids. The situation is, admittedly, getting out of hand.
In the past, the numbers were higher in cities and towns with large populations. That is not the case any more. These loitering and often begging children are all over. When times are hard they cannot extract anything from the alms, they are forced to pillage dumpsites scavenging for discarded food.
That exposes them to further danger. A lot of theories have been advanced in attempts to establish or explain the cause of street kids. Most of them have been abstract.
Those in social work believe that it has more to do with the homes these children come from. Others have argued that not all the street kids ought to be on the street. Some of them may genuinely be orphans but others have run away from home out of truancy seeking solace along side roads.
The advent of HIV/AIDS cannot be discounted completely as a contributing factor to the country's growing social problem.
But whatever the case, there is need to tackle this problem head on. Sadly the myriad of non-governmental organisations (NGOs) formed under the guise of resolving the issue have not done much.
They have made the money out of the plight of the children while the problem continues to ravage. There is a school of thought which argues that there is need for people to begin respecting family values.
If there is a place that should not be grappling with the problem of street kids, it is Africa. The family system is so closely knit here that there is simply no room for any one member of the family to be discarded.
The extended family system has cemented the blood line relationship to an extent that children born of brothers are not called cousins but brothers or sisters.
When any of the fathers die, the surviving brother would look after the children. It appears that the bond brought about by the extended family system has been broken and many people believe that it has something to do with turning backs against family values which recognised the extended family system.
But there is also need to look at other factors. Children whose parents are still alive should have no business on the streets. Their parents ought to take up their responsibilities of raising their offspring.
Some have suggested that one of the ways to solve the problem is to punish negligent parents. Another way to tackle the problem would be to improve social amenities in the country where most children could spend their pass time.
It is more practical to invest in structures which syphon children from the streets than simply donating clothing and foodstuffs for them.
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