Police urge communities to invest in children

Ntchisi Police Station officer-in-charge Edward Chingaipe  says poor parenting affects children psychologically and socially.

He made the remarks on Saturday at Njakwa Village, Traditional Authority (T/A) Chilooko in the district during the official opening of Njakwa Community Victim Support Unit which is expected to provide justice closer to women and children affected by gender-based violence (GBV).

Chingaipe also said the unit will be sensitising communities to the significance of responsible parenting.

During the ceremony, it was revealed  that a majority of children whose parents were divorced or separated drop out of school and engage in deviant behaviour due to lack of guidance and counselling from parents.

Chingaipe said divorced parents find it difficult to advise their children, leaving the children in deprived situations.

“When parents break up, they lack interest in their children’s education and this fuels illiteracy among the children,” he said.

Chingaipe appealed to community leaders to foster good parenting skills to reduce marriage break-ups and utilise the community victim support unit.

In her remarks, group village head Kandale pleaded with families to make their homes conducive for the development of their children.

“Let us remember that the future belongs to children, and as a country, we will be accountable for all these aspects of development as many abused children have weird behaviours and some become criminals in future,” she said.