By: Lloyd M’bwana
The Malawi Police through Kanengo station in the capital Lilongwe has emphasized the need for parents, teachers and law enforcers working closely in a bid to safeguard children rights.
The station which is the country’s model and SADC region in promotion of child and women rights is sensitizing the general public on how best children especially in primary schools can be protected from various abuses including rape, torture, and school corporal punishment among others.
The exercise comes barely some weeks after the station dismantled the grouping of young boys popularly known as B 13 which was terrorizing and disturbing and outgoing primary school learners in Area 25 particularly at Kabwabwa Primary School and other surrounding communities which contributed school pupils absconding from school
lessons in fear of the grouping’s venom.
With funding from Plan Malawi, the sensitization child rights campaign is drawing participants from police, teachers and the general public through training on children rights and parental hood on how best they can work together in addressing the vice.
Speaking in a inclusive interview with The Maravi Post on Wednesday, December 16, after a group of teachers, law enforcers and general public attending the training, Senior Assistant Commissioner Denis Katuya who is also the Police In-Charge for Kanengo station emphasized the need for community working together in glooming children on their rights and life skills in order to eradicate violence, abuses which are subjected to the vices.
Commissioner Katuya observed that when children are taught about their rights while young the nation stands a better chance of having productive citizens vested with responsibility upon knowing fundamental pillars of rights.
“The current crop of children we are having lack the zeal to difference between what is good and bad. This has resulted into young people involving in crimes sometimes beyond their age due to lack of parental hood which some misguided individuals have taken advantage of the rotten society start abusing the children in homes, schools and churches.
“Therefore, time has come for all of us to work together in making sure that our children are living responsibly while knowing their rights on the other side the public are sensitized on children rights in order for them to provide protection from all forms of abuses”, urges Katuya.
On the scope of the exercise, Sub Inspector Wells Munthali the training and campaign coordinator said the teaching has been designed in such a manner that teachers should know their limits in punishing wrong pupils and the same with parents at home that they must not face the bad side of the law when exercising their duties.
“We are creating conducive environment for the next generation where our children will live comfortably in various communities with fewer abuses, torture than now. It’s in this regard, the exercise has been designed to change people attitudes on child rights protection with responsibility ranging from parents, teachers, police officers and children themselves that together we can change the nation.
“Parents should always treat their children fairly with human integrity while teachers’ punishment to pupils who breaks regulations must reasonable to avoid being tagged by the law and the exercise also aims at preparing the next school term”, explains Munthali.
A Mrs. Madziakatayika, Mkumachi Primary School teacher a participant to the training, expressed gratitude for the skills and knowledge acquired with an assurance that will pursue the initiative further by engaging parents. Madziakatayika therefore appealed for the intensive training on child rights protection for sustainable implementation of the program.
Kanengo Police station operates in Area 25, 49, 28, 50, 51, Mtandire, Mgona, Msungwi, Mtema, Lumbadzi with Victim Support Unit (VSU) established in 2001 which also serves three Traditional Authorities (T.As) Mtema, Chitukula and Chimutu in Lilongwe district.
For this year (2015) alone, the police station recorded about 200 cases including raping, defilement, wife beating, deserting children and families among others.
