Child neglect and street robbery

Recently, Malawians have witnessed a spate of robberies orchestrated by street-connected children in major city streets.

The attacks have made it too perilous to roam the streets, especially after sunset.

Security agents are admittedly struggling to flash out these bandits and arrest the situation. 

Perhaps, this explains the reason the streets remain unsafe despite several strategic operations to curb the vice

One reason could be that the children have no single place to call home. Due to lack of permanent homes, they operate from any angle within the city.

The increasing attacks signify a lapse in security.

One might think that the bemoaned attackers are grown-ups in their thirties or forties, but most of them are bewilderingly aged nine to 20.

To understand more about these street-connected children, the big questions are: Who are these kids? Where are their parents? Where do they come from? How did they end up in the streets?

Answers to these questions confirm that these are kids whose parents are not aliens. They are our children.

At the centre of the street robberies is child abandonment, a silent yet common problem in the country.

As some ancient thinkers observed, we are sometimes masters of our own fate. These attacks are fruits of our own acts or omission of some important responsibilities.

The menacing children live in the streets because they have been neglected by their biological parents, siblings and relatives who ought to assist them.

Some of the runaway parents and guardians are our friends and relatives.

Some of the street-connected children are our childhood friends we have seen struggling in real life, but we turned away from them and refused to help them out.

Relevant government ministries, departments, agents and partners have taken an initiative to withdraw some of the children and enrol them in various safe homes and recreation facilities.

This initiative is seen as the most effective way of clearing the streets, but it is not as plausible as it seems.

Removing the children from the streets is like using buckets to collect water from a leaking roof. No matter how many buckets you fill or use, the hole will remain up there until it is sealed. The onus is on the owner to seal the leak.

Withdrawing children from the street is a temporary measure. Much as some children have been successfully withdrawn, more will always be seen roaming the streets. As some are being withdrawn, more come and continue to cause havoc.  More children rejected by their parents, especially fathers, are born every day.

So, what’s the solution? Let us deal with child abandonment, a tendency mostly fuelled by men who think that they can just impregnate women, deny the responsibility and get away with it.

The State should strictly apply relevant laws to ensure parents embrace their role as primary caregivers of their children.

Section 23 of the Republican Constitution as well as Section 4 of the Child Care, Protection and Justice Act mandate every parent or guardian to protect the child from neglect, among several other responsibilities. It outlaws parents or guardians from depriving a child of his or her welfare.

Women should be specially empowered to report child abandonment cases to relevant authorities so that every man who denies a pregnancy should be brought to book and deter others who cannot close their zips.

The most crucial part in raising the child is not just providing financial care, but also moral support which is essential in grooming children to become responsible citizens.

The street-connected children grow like wild animals and disturb public peace because there is no one to teach them morals.