An open letter to parents!
Where is my child, your child, our children - nowadays? Where are children who are not perturbed to walk in the streets without fear of being abused and molested? Where are our toddlers, bundles of joy who laugh innocently and incessantly? Where are the minors who are allowed some space to crawl without inviting attention from dysfunctional males? I want to know – why it is that today’s children are subjected to such untold misery? When all they love is candies and not warped adult sexual antics. Are we now accustomed to presenting our newly born babies with poison? Instead of giving them life-skills, so they connect to the future and look forward to the next day. Are we so blind to the cascading tears of minors terrorised by a section of our society? Day in and day out these teething infants extend their hand appealing for a world, where they can grow in peace and live in harmony, this is a world that eludes them. A soul-wrenching episode plays itself repeatedly in spite of the fact that those children need adults to empower them. Children have taken to the streets waving banners some emblazoned “We are only your children - please don’t hurt us and turn us into your wives.’’
Their fervent simple message elicited little sympathy and understanding. Is the present state of affairs not too unbearable for these little souls? Has our sense of raising children taken a nosedive? Do we now derive pleasure from inflicting pain on our own offspring? Has society found refuge in fostering an unstable society of children - who may grow up experiencing a myriad of behavioural problems?
Tell me then, why are our children are so terrified of their immediate environs? The screams of children crying, not for mother’s milk, but because there is an adult breathing heavily on top of them. Their pain echoes and permeates our lives like the beckoning sound of an old rusty bell. From the shantytowns, to the modest homes and reed fields of our land - we have witnessed some bloody cloths and a river of spilt blood after these vultures have feasted on children. A sad reminder to all that some little angels were made wives by adults who we mistakenly thought were worthy of trust and respect. These cowardly and perverted acts rob these children of their childhood. Of course in most instances relatives are involved, the perpetrators include parents, uncles and close acquaintances. They commit these heinous crimes with impunity. Please point out a child who could easily settle in the company of adults without any misgivings! Please take me to a mother who could voluntarily leaves her daughters in the care of males. We all know how ghastly the consequences of such a move can be. Chances are, the mother may come back, to be confronted by a heart piercing scene. In most cases she is likely to be greeted by a sight of her daughter bleeding profusely and writhing in pain. Not because she had fallen whilst taking those vital steps in life – trying to crawl or walk. The babysitter from hell may deliberately damaged the poor baby’s colon and sexual organs even as the mother turns the corner on her way home. She yells and screams at the perpetrators, they have committed this vile and pernicious penetration in a horrifyingly misguided attempt to cure HIV.
The realm of violent stories perpetuated against children by their next of kin and neighbours leaves permanent stains of shame on our social fabric. Some babies have now become scared of life even before learning to form vowels and comprehend what life is all about. Their hurting, tiny fragile bodies are irreparable for life and at worst infected with HIV/AIDS. These children risk growing up in an environment that has condemned them to the shackles of an uncertain future. The world has turned its back on its children. Our kids are presently, made guinea pigs for fools believing virgins can cure HIV/AIDS. It’s hard to fathom who invented this hypothesis, its origins and where it emanates from remain a mystery. Experts and AIDS activists have repeatedly cautioned members of the public not to buy into such dangerous mumbo-jumbo. The latest upsurge of rape against children and toddlers in particular is something that needs all the concern of members of civil society, NGO’s, Children’s lobby groups and Faith Based Organisations etc to campaign vigorously against this latest inhuman shame. We all can make a difference in our communities by teaching family members, friends and colleagues that it is a dangerous and evil myth that virgins cure AIDS.
It’s just unbelievable that we allow ourselves to compromise the health of our children in the hope of cleansing our immune system of a sexually transmitted disease. Indeed not all men are rapists, but the escalation of cases involving men raping children sends shivers of fear and loathing down the spines of all good people. Any baby who joins the human race deserves love and care. However, the same people these children look up for leadership torture them like soulless bandits. Some amongst us have seen classic example of pain inflicted upon children and the betrayals of children by adults. This pain is borne of insatiable sexual perversion, selfishness and greed concocted and packaged by adults for children.
In our prayer for children, let us remember a child who is hanging onto life, gasping for air raped of her health and childhood. Let us in the same breath cast our eyes on babies confined to intravenous drips wailing non-stop with pain eating their small body away. Let’s remember again all our babies crying for an opportunity to reclaim their life force. Our love needs to go to some babies, and children who run households. In our hearts let us light a flame of hope for children who will grow up with a part of them feeling indifferent. Let us embrace numerous children: Those children touched by HIV/AIDS. The children who are nursing and caring for their ailing parents. Let us think of the plight of dozens of children closing their dying parents’ eyes. Let us focus our eyes on orphaned children who have no clue where they will get the next meal. Let us pray for all children raped, abused and molested by adults. Let us ensure that all traumatised children are not treated as outcasts in our society. Lets create a haven for the children and make this world a better place for all of them.
As we prepare to commemorate 2001 World AIDS Day and look forward to celebrate the festive season. Can we spare a thought for our children, protect them and ensure that no children get sexually molested again.
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