Children are precious gifts that comfort the hearts of parents and they deserve to enjoy every stage of their lives: infanthood, childhood and adulthood. But while some people are blessed with children, others are desperately praying to have one. It is not because they are sinful but their time is yet to come. In spite of the importance attached to children, some parents are unconcerned about their children while others have the heart to uplift their lives but do not have the means.
The rising incidences of rape and assaults to young girls and boys living in rich-men’s houses in the name of payable works are unarguably increasing; thereby teenagers’ constitutional freedoms, dignities and privileges are denied, abused and violated.
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Parents in Nigeria are professionals in sheer verbal discussions about potentials and talents of their kids not harnessing them whereas Ghana, Ethiopia, Egypt and other African countries have turned similar potentials of theirs into realities. It was hard in the past to see parents that neglect their parental responsibilities, but in this generation, some parents are habitually lazy to the extent that they succumb to pushing their teenage children to houses of rich individuals to do house chores while their age mates are in schools. At times, such teenagers, especially under-aged girls are sexually abused, then threatened of death if they talk about their suffering. So, the cases die down unheard and the abusers continue harassing other girls that fall in their traps without been punished.
Reasonably, poverty is one of the basic factors that necessitate parents to send their teenage children out as house helps. Negligence to parental responsibilities is the second factor forcing teenagers to engage in payable jobs. Also, the ancient tradition of sending male children far away to acquire religious knowledge without provisions like food, money for upkeep, etc make such children do menial jobs
The level of poverty needs to be reduced by opening more avenues of employment or businesses so that jobless parents would have means of income. Relatives that embraced children of their deceased family members should provide them with basic necessities of life and treat them like theirs. When parents send their children to far places for religious knowledge, they should continue sending money to them so that they won’t become beggars or be used for labour.
Mukhtar Garba Kobi
08185113672
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