Let Us Protect The Children

Once again the deaths of two children who went to play in their father’s parked car was reported by the various Ghanaian media houses. These children died through suffocation when they got trapped in the car whiles their father was having a family meeting in the house. This tragic incident happened on the 11th January, 2014 at a suburb of Accra known as Asofa. 

Anytime i hear such news involving children, my heart bleeds. There are so many safety measures that should be done to protect our children from harm, but it seems parents and guardians have failed woefully in this aspect of parenting. Why place a bottle of kerosene or dangerous chemical at a place in the house where the child can easily mistake it for water or any drinkable liquid? Some parents leave knives, blades and other sharp implements in the open where children easily get access to them and eventually hurt themselves. Some children are also left alone to go to school on their own without the supervision of their parents or guardians. The unexpected happens when they try crossing the road and it brings a lot of grief and sorrow to the family.  Why would a parent be driving and his child be standing in the car? I see that everyday and the police also fail to point it out to them. Poisonous substances should not be left in the open for children to get access to. I think, there is no education on child safety in Ghana. All the past governments have failed in this aspect. It is high time a policy framework specifically modeled on child safety be advocated for.

Laws should be enacted to protect our children from harm or death caused by the negligence of their parents or guardians.  We should try our very best as a country to protect the children, since they are the future leaders. May the souls of all children who have died due to the negligence of their parents or guardians rest in the bosom of God Almighty. These are just the thoughts of a concerned citizen who is so passionate about children. Your comments are welcome. God bless all children and their responsible parents and guardians.