Of erosion of love, child abuse and signs of the times

WITH the dust from the recent Igunga by-general election still to settle after wananchi put pen to paper yesterday to choose their leader, anxiety is clouding everyone interested in the outcome of the polls. May the best candidate win.

Though election news formed part of major headlines withing various media organisations, it is unfortunate that the problem of child abuse is far from being over in this country. So many stories continue being published by various newspapers on child abuse, something that should be curbed for a better tomorrow.

Children are a gift from God and what surprises me is the fact that after getting these gifts, some people tend to abuse them. What is disturbing is that children in this country are fast becoming an endangered species. Besides grappling with poverty, diseases and unhygienic conditions fate exposes them to, they also have to deal with yet another problem, abuse.

Ask me, I, without hesitating now agree with those of the view that the world is coming to an end. I know that many people don't believe that one day the world will come to an end. I had a friend of mine who would use everything he had to prove that the world will never end. His argument was that the world will come to an end for individuals when they die not for it to be wholly destroyed.

But, I believe that what we are seeing now are signs of the times. I am not a prophet here dear reader but what I am trying to highlight is the fact that the goings on in this country are beyond redemption. Children are suffering at the hands of those who are supposed to protect them. Is it poverty? I wonder.

They are being abused by those who are supposed to take care of them, provide for them and give them a sound foundation to life. What has happened to our norms and values? What about the value we used to give to children, the ones we considered the leaders of tomorrow?

I remember blasting this madness in this column sometime ago where I pointed out that many African movies especially those from Nigeria deal with this issue extensively. Still fresh in my mind is the reference to some of those movies where wicked women are seen abusing little children who will end up saving them tomorrow.

Among prominent Nollywood actors like Ramsey Noah, Emeka Ike, the notorious midgets Chinedu Ikedieze and Osita Iheme, Frances Nsokwu and Amaechi Muonagor, just but to mention a few is a woman I love to hate. This woman plays her role so well that you won’t have any option but to hate her. Her real name is Patience Ozokwor, known by her name as Mama Azuka in one of the films. She is always good when it comes to acting as a ruthless, evil and greedy woman.

Mrs Uzokwor is a popular actress who plays the role of a wicked woman so well. In fact, many people find it difficult to separate her role in drama from her actions in real life

She is so popular when it comes to child abuse, especially her step children while pampering her own. Step children are made to suffer and labour by tilling land, doing all the donkey work while her children are enjoying.

It is unfortunate that besides being fed up with these African movies, we continue experiencing and witnessing stranger than fiction scripts that are being written by some of our women today. Stories coming from different parts of this country on child abuse qualify to be developed into scripts for good Bongo movies.

I really don’t know what is happening to humanity but what ever it is then we have been bewitched by the dead. Whatever is eroding mother’s love from most women in this country should be too powerful and seems to be irresistible as our media are awash with a lot of awkward and bizarre stories of parents ill-treating or even killing their own children for trivial reasons.

Whether people are being possessed by evil spirits or is the erosion of motherly love, something urgent needs to be done. Many people are fast becoming heartless and they don't hesitate to harm defenseless children.

Most people forget that children have rights too. Carrying a child in your womb for nine months or taking care of someone's child as a step parent does not give a person the right to ill-treat him/her. Just like in the African movies, the good will always prevail over the evil and the law usually takes its course. Woe to those who treat children like rags as they will face the music.

Whatever happened to the long-held belief that ‘mlee mtoto atakulea kesho?’ How do today’s parents expect their children to look after them in their old age when they are mistreating them now. Children are gifts from God and they need love and protection.

Parents should know that there is always a better way of disciplining a child. If we over do it, then we will be merely digging our own graves as that will have a negative impact on our children, who in most cases are left without choice but become thugs.

Though the law usually takes its own course, with the perpetrators facing the music, it remains sad, however, that by ill-treating a child, we are inflicting permanent scars that usually will have a direct bearing to their characters and behaviours.

The society should not fold hands and watch children being abused. They should confront those devious parents and rescue these innocent and defenseless children. It is everyone’s duty to make a better Tanzania by protecting children, who are leaders of tomorrow. God bless you.

bongoblast@thisday.co.tz/symeniah.blogspot.com/0657651300