ON Monday, Papua New Guinea marked International Children’s Day. The occasion saw a focus upon new laws for dealing with juvenile offenders and a landmark project addressing the issue of violence against children.
We applaud such initiatives.
We recall that PNG’s initial involvement with the global issue of children began at a conference that brought together leaders from around the world.
Dozens of the world’s heads of State, prime ministers and presidents spoke to the general assembly of the United Nations.
Then prime minister Sir Rabbie Namaliu addressed the assembly and signed PNG’s commitment. That was some 16 years ago in New York.
In PNG, we face an issue that still remains largely unacknowledged.
It is the question of the depth of involvement of parents with their own children.
Yesterday, The National reported statements from the Crime Prevention Initiative of East New Britain.
The point was made that children’s issues tend to come at the bottom of the pile when it comes to addressing the concerns of the country.
Mention was made of the initiative’s role in “creating a safe home for children, working together with the police and development agencies and engaging children in other programmes providing them with opportunities to make money and sustain their living”.
We understand the logic behind that statement, although we feel some concern at the spectre of under-age children working, which is a major and horrifying problem for millions of the world’s youngsters.
What was completely missing in the reported remarks was any reference to the role of parents.
The focus appeared exclusively on the contribution that can be made and is being made by various organisations towards the growth and development of children.
We firmly believe that the development of the next generation is a vital matter for the whole society.
Most of us are aware of cases where children have been failed and are so neglected that they receive almost none of the necessary guidance all youngsters need.
In such circumstances, the programmes and initiatives outline by the CPI speakers must be available, accessible and should be relied upon to contribute to filling the yawning gap in those chilren’s lives.
But we’re certain that neither the CPI nor any other organisation believes that outside intervention by organisations can ever replace the huge benefits of loving and caring parents.
And we feel that’s the crux of the issue in PNG.
Be honest.
Take a long hard look at your own children and at the young families in your neighbourhood.
How much time do you and the other parents spend with your children?
If you are parents who have received a formal education, do you listen to your own children’s problems at school and help them with their homework?
How often do you spend quality time with your children?
Do the dads go fishing with their children or kick a ball around at the local park or organise the kids into a cricket team?
Do the mums show their offspring how to bake and cook and make clothes?
And if you do take the trouble to interact with your kids, is there a sense of fun and discovery about those adventures?
Those simple involvements can prove to be one of the strongest inputs into the development of a child and they translate into a reliable foundation for teenage and young adulthood.
We have all seen neighbourhoods in which the mums spend their days gossiping with each other or playing cards – until its time for dad to come home. Then there’s a mad rush to get some food on the table so the old boy doesn’t get upset.
And there are the dads who don’t want to know about their children. They ignore them and treat them with contempt, repelling any advances from their own kids.
It doesn’t take long before the kids get the message, and another batch of emotionally stunted young adults is unleashed upon the community.
To mark International Children’s Day, our message is simple. The provision of a loving and just home for our kids is our responsibility as parents.
And it’s one that we cannot afford to ignore.