Dear Editor,

I am just tired of reading and hearing in the news about these children’s issues. Each time something happens some advocacy group gets up and blames the Youth Ministry, police, Ministry of Education, schools, even other children.

Some of these advocacy groups are sometimes trying to make themselves relevant, have a political agenda or are looking funding. Yes, we do need these groups, but with the correct agenda to bring these issues to the forefront.

My whole concern is, where are the parents of these children? When a man and a woman decide to have sexual relations without birth control they must realise that there is a possibility of bringing a child into the world. They do not consult the Youth Ministry, police, Ministry of Education or schools when they are enjoying themselves. Yet, as soon as the child is born it’s as if they expect the State to look after them from the cradle to the grave. Some of these parents even have the nerve to blame the State agencies that try to assist.

I would love to see the parents of these children being held accountable. When children do not attend school, when children are seen on the streets, when children are used for prostitution, and when children are abused, the parents should be the first to be held accountable under the law, and be subject to serious penalties. The law should not only be on the books but be implemented. That’s where the funding should go.

The first response to this issue should not be to build more children’s homes, or to add facilities in police stations to house children; these are band-aid responses. If we do not address the problem of parenting we will never have enough funds to house the number of children that will fall into the hands of the State.

The responsibility of the State in this issue is to assist parents, not to take over the parenting.

Winsome Mowatt

winsome.mowatt@gmail.com