Regional News of Wednesday, 15 August 2012

Source: GNA

Lack of parental control is the cause of Societal problems – Gender Activist

Madam Monica B. Kutin, a Kumasi-based Gender Activist has attributed the breakdown in social order to lack of parental control.

She observed that about 70 per cent of people in the Ghanaian society came from broken homes, with no father, raised by single mothers, leaving children under the care of peers, friends, teachers and the media.

These, according to her, made children very vulnerable and most of them got into bad companies which impacted negatively on their growth and development.

Madam Kutin, who was speaking in an interview with the Ghana News Agency in Kumasi, said with no proper or effective control at home, children picked up bad habits like stealing, drug abuse, alcoholism and later grew to become hardened criminals like armed robbers, fraudsters and prostitutes, among others.

“When there is no love at home, children look for love outside,” she stated.

Madam Kutin said the whole world was in a mess because the foundation for raising responsible leaders was very poor.

“Lack of parental control makes children undisciplined; they become arrogant and insubordinate and such traits make them wicked, corrupt and unpatriotic leaders later in life,” she pointed out.

The Gender Activist advised men, and for that matter husbands, to turn from being “baby makers” to baby lovers, so that they can rise up to their parental obligations and responsibilities.

She also urged the men to be God-fearing and spend quality time at home with their families so as to build a strong bond of unity and sense of belonging, right from the house, to society and the world as a whole.

She urged the women to desist from being materialistic and rather spend their resources in supporting the education of their children, especially the girl-child, because according to her, when women are well educated, they become good wives, mothers and leaders in society.

“Education will enlighten and empower women to be up to their responsibilities as wives, mothers and states women,” she stressed.

On the upcoming general election, Madam Kutin called on the media to constantly show footages of carnage in Rwanda, Liberia, Somalia and other war-torn areas in order to sensitise Ghanaians to ensure a trouble-free election and sustain the peace in the country.

“We need peace to go to school, work and to serve the Lord our God, and this the media, especially the electronic media, dare not fail,” she concluded.