Parents urged to protect children from abuse
Parents in Lilongwe have been asked to protect their children from abuse so that they continue with their education and become reliable citizens.
Actionaid Malawi project officer Wales Chigwenembe said this on Friday in Lilongwe during a meeting with pupils from various primary schools in the district.
He said: “Children are meeting a lot of challenges in the communities and some of them are perpetrated by their parents. For example, some parents send their children to sell food while their friends are in class. This is abuse.”
Chigwenembe also condemned teachers who give punishment to pupils during classes saying it disrupts the learning process.
He said his organisation has also drilled some learners to monitor their schoolmates to ensure that they are not absent in class.
“We know that learners can easily listen to one another, hence we encourage them to check on their fellow pupils. When one is absent, we encourage some of them to visit that learner and find out why he or she is absent,” said Chigwenembe.
Eluby Siwetala, councillor of Nyama Ward in Lilongwe City Centre Constituency Eluby Siwetala said the project has helped many parents to know their role in encouraging children to go to school.
The meeting, which was spiced up by drama and other activities, was part of a project titled Collective Action to Prevent and End Violence Against Children in Schools.
It is being implemented under the United Nations (UN) joint programme on girls education with funding from United Nations Children’s Fund (Unicef). n
