Let Children Be Children
Monday, December 02, 2019
While young boys also go through difficulties when growing up, the girl-child still remains the most vulnerable, and statistics are there to prove that. While statistics show that young girls are the ones who suffer the most exploitation at the hands of unscrupulous men (and women), unfortunately there are also boys who suffer abuse from not only men, but also women.
For some reason, such men and/or women seem to see nothing wrong with forcing minors into adult sexual relationships. Most people who have never experienced such trauma in their life take the issue of defilement very lightly. It is not uncommon to come across grown men and women defending the perpetrator at the expense of the victim, giving lame excuses like ‘she brought it on herself’. Unfortunately such comments frustrate the fight against defilement, rape and other social ills affecting children. It is beyond revolting to learn of an older man being in a relationship with a minor, and to think some older men do not even have shame approaching girls (or boys) young enough to be their own child or nibling for sexual favours.
The recent Vaccination Day in Motokwe, orchestrated through collaborative efforts between UNICEF, USAID, BRCS, and the Ministry of Health, underscores a commendable stride towards fortifying child health services.The painful reality as reflected by the Ministry of Health's data regarding the decline in routine immunisation coverage since the onset of the pandemic, is a cause for concern.It underscores the urgent need to address the...