Educate children with right values

DOMESTIC and sexual violence concerns continue with a wide variety of opinions being aired throughout the nation.
Other issues include alcohol abuse, theft and other crimes.
The outspoken have called for tougher penalties to be imposed, raising awareness so victims know their rights and what help is available, while others are just armchair critics waiting to pick up on the failures.
There is a huge challenge now to change and make a difference and that will only be through educating young Papua New Guineans.
Today’s society has broken many rigid barriers.
Our ability to communicate with each other within PNG is a historically recent development.
Previous generations often remained geographically restricted and had only vague ties with other tribes in adjourning land.
We need to stop and think about the process of transformation that our societies have undertaken in the past century.
Many of our sons and daughters now move freely throughout our nation and beyond.
Movement involves exposure to new customs and beliefs and rigidly held taboos are very often the first to fall.
Our society today include a rapidly increasing generation of young adults and youths whose parents are from different provinces.
Fifty years ago, such off-springs were rare; they tended to be the children of policemen or teachers who moved regularly throughout PNG and who often married outside their own village systems.
Our contemporary society is a mixture of many inputs.
Some are homegrown beliefs that we hold dear to our hearts, traditions and customs that many of us refuse to abandon.
There are many issues within today’s society that is always a thorny subject, even within supposedly developed nations.
What some term as “sexual freedom” involving casual encounters with the opposite sex is happening every day, but should they produce a child, both the mother and the child often become outcasts within their families and communities.
The man involved is rarely seen as being in the wrong and responsible.
Most adults have condemned aspects of the generation that follows.
Many have demanded harsher penalties, censorship and bans on a wide range of activities.
History has shown that bans achieve nothing and are always counter-productive.
Ban liquor and thousands of people will manufacture it at home.
Ban prostitutes and you will simply drive the trade underground.
Ban nightclubs and the very activities most complain about will go elsewhere.
Some want to ban internet access, certain books and magazines, free speech, publication, radio, television and advertisements.
We will gradually seal PNG from the outside world if we ban these things.
Instead of solving the issue, it will double overnight.
We believe there is only one answer to society’s legitimate concerns over sexual violence and abuse.
We add violence of any kind that may be regarded as a crime.
We have to start to do everything within our power to educate our children to understand spiritual, moral and ethical values.
We should help to develop childish curiosity into analysis so wise choices can be made.
We should guide our children spiritually and help them to understand conscience and responsibility.
We should help them celebrate that they are united as one people within the glittering birthright of their nation’s cultural diversity.
For if they enter adult life armed with such weapons, PNG needs to hold no fear.

Rodney Noruma