Former South Africa president Nelson Mandela once said that the true character of a society is revealed in how it treats its children.
Going by these words Kenya has failed her children. Crimes against children are on the rise. Often, it is those entrusted with taking care of children that end up abusing them.
Last Friday children from a school in Mwea marched to a police station to complain about a 43-year-old teacher who has been sexually harassing them.
At least four students recorded statements stating that the teacher had formed a habit of caressing their private parts in the staffroom.
That the children took matters into their own hands to defend themselves paints a very poor image of the parents, teachers and government officials who owe them a duty of care.
Children are the future of every society and they have a right to be cared for by those responsible for them at every stage.
Parents need to spend time with their children and cultivate an environment where the kids can share with them the problems they face at the hands of adults.
This will help nip the problem in the bud.
The government has to take seriously any offence against children and punish the perpetrators severely as a deterrence.
Quote of the Day: “Kindness is the language which the deaf can hear and the blind can see.”
Mark Twain
The American writer died on November 30, 1835.
