Child- friendly spaces are a necessity

EDITOR: The spaces where children can safely and happily dwell are being depleted. Home, school, and church should be safe spaces for children. But this is only so if the responsible adults keep a watchful eye over them at all times and keep them engaged in wholesome activities. Children are vulnerable and can fall prey to predators who will pounce on them given the opportunity.

Constant vigilance and supervision are what children need for healthy growth and development. The children who are left on their own feel neglected and lost. We have become so busy that we neglect our watchful duty, assuming that things would work out. Everywhere we find children, responsible adults must be on patrol for their safety and wellbeing.

At church or school, staff should be present before children arrive, be on the watch during the day, and especially during the lunch and break hours,and also until the last child has left the compound. It was usual for parents to accompany their children to Music or Sports practice. This was good. Children playing outside or in the streets were overseen by granny looking out the window or from the porch. Some have exposed their children to cyberspace without setting up the guardrails. But the safer space to leave children is in books and libraries where the librarians will keep a watchful eye. The local newspaper is also a safe space. There they would keep up with current affairs, expand their vocabulary, increase their knowledge and understanding.
Youth groups and sports clubs should also be safe spaces for children to dwell. It still takes a village to raise a child and we must all do what we can to ensure that our homes, schools, churches and neighbourhoods are safe for our children.

Anthony G. Stewart, PhD