The Sunday Mail
Faith Temberere 19 years
Chitungwiza Citizen Child Cluster
PARENTS ought to take care of their children, they must groom, protect and nurture them to become a responsible individuals in life.
Unfortunately in our modern day life, the tables are upside down, with most parents being the worst terror in their children’s lives.
In my community of Chitungwiza it has become a daily norm to hear women crying and their husbands furiously abusing them. It’s as if they are taking shifts to beat up their wives. It has become a norm that every day you hear a couple scolding each other, beating and insulting each other in the presence of their children.
Looking at it on a broader perspective, l have noticed that these quarrels may be settled later between husband and wife.
But has that image of a mother lying down mercilessly on the floor being bashed like an animal, been erased from the mind of their innocent children?
To my surprise, l am not the only one who is being troubled by this kind of abuse as even some elders of the community have forwarded their complaints to the local police station.
As Mrs Chikwena of Unit O Seke Chitungwiza said, “Yes, we know couples fight but it’s now having a negative impact on their children, hence there is dire need to be diplomatic when having disputes, try ending them without drama.”
This is true because one of the greatest reason a child would seek solace in drugs is because of the disunity at their homes.
There is also an increase in the number of children living in the streets of Harare due to the family dis-function caused by such terror.
One officer at the ZRP Makoni police station had this to say, “These issues were offered a solution long back as a man are forbiden to lay a hand on their wives, but the challenge is that these women are not putting their rights to action, rather they suffer in silence not knowing who they are punishing the most — their child.”
Thus it is great sorrow that our own parents are planting in us an internal damage which they can neither see nor later avoid when it begins to rear its head.
One parent, Mrs Manditsera who is a teacher even confirmed that one of her students was exposed to this kind of abuse which resulted in his grades dropping.
A notable psychological indicator to this student was staying in isolation and sometimes bullying girls saying “women were born to be beaten just like my father does to my mother . . .”, which shows how his character and attitude towards women have been destroyed due to what he is exposed to at home.
Therefore it is our cry that parents, “reconsider your actions and change for the better, for it is every child’s dream to wake up in the morning welcomed with smiles that guarantee their protection from their parents.
And it is at home that every child is nurtured and prepared to meet every life responsibility.”
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