Make schools safe again

THE front page report on The National on Thursday (Feb 21) calls for tougher sentences on people convicted of sexually abusing minors.
Anyone who is mistreated, harassed and abused sexually or otherwise by those in positions of authority and trust must be dealt with appropriately.
It isn’t enough to let this stupidity go on unchecked and treat the matter as normal.
It isn’t right. It is not the normal, acceptable attitude required of persons in positions of trust.
Many of our children grow up in our schools where they spend half of their day and many have more fun at school than they do at home.
They learn people skills while being in the company of others, peer groups and professional adults who are most probably their teachers.
What kind of a teacher will do such an act of treason, punishable by being terminated from their employment and barred from taking up a position elsewhere in a classroom?
What kind of school head, board of governor or management will allow such a person who call himself a teacher, pastor or health worker to run free in their community.
Allowing such a person to live in the community is an indictment on society because in doing so we are choosing to ignore and tolerate disrespect for our sisters, mothers, and aunts by an individual who is no better than his own dog.
Those who are tried in a court of law and found guilty of such crimes should be put away for a long time.
Rape should carry a long jail term because it is no different to murder.
Rape victims are dead inside and their lives are never the same again.
We all should abhor the repulsive ill treatment of our woman, no matter how far they are from civilization – be it in the mountains or in our cities of Lae, Mt Hagen, Goroka and Port Moresby.
By keeping quiet we are accepting and promoting this abnormal behaviour.
The Department for Community Development, Youth and Religion should take this fight into the towns, cities and local communities around the country. This particular government department is not doing enough to educate our citizens.
We need action now.

Educationist
Waigani