• MP says children are easy targets for drug peddlars and sexual predators.
• Parents need to make time to talk to their teens, otherwise other adults will take time and take advantage of them sexually.
Parents should extra careful with their children during the holidays to protect them from sexual predators, drugs and alcohol.
That's what Ruiru MP Simon King'ara said on Tuesday.
"We don't want to see children indulging in anti-social vices like drugs, alcoholism or running away from home,” he said.
King’ara said schoolgoing children are the most vulnerable to drug peddlers who even make them their sex 'pets'.
Speaking in Ruiru town on Tuesday, the lawmaker urged parents to shield their children from immorality and anti-social behaviour.
He was disbursing a Sh50,000 cheque to youth groups in the arts, fashion and msic through his Ng’ang’a King’ara Foundation.
If you don’t have time for your teens, they will seek comfort in other adults who might trick them and put them in the way of parenthood.Ruiru MP Simon King'ara
“Parents should not neglect their duties especially during this long holiday," King'ara said.
Every parent's top priority should be giving children advice and moral support and talking to them about whatever seems to be bothering them, he said.
The MP said teen pregnancies were becoming prevalent and told parents to be especially careful of their daughters.
He told parents to create time to talk to teenagers and let them open up about their problems.
“Developing a strong relationship is critical. If you don’t have time for your teens, they will seek comfort in other adults who might trick them and put them in the way of parenthood,” King’ara said.
The society too has a role to play, the MP said.
The MP also called on the police to strengthen patrols throughout the region, especially in social joints like night clubs. Proprietors and managers should be arrested and prosecuted, he said.
“Children who indulge in drugs and alcohol become potential targets of criminals who defile or rape them," he said.
(Edited by V. Graham)