Irresponsible parenting breeds social vices - Ofori-Boadu

Sunyani (B/A) May 7, GNA - Ms Gloria Ofori Boadu, a Member of the National Africa Peer Review Mechanism Governance Council on Friday identified irresponsible parenting as the cause of the increasing spate of violence, drug abuse, rape, robbery and other social vices among the youth.

"Parental guidance especially at the formative stage of a child is very crucial to their development, sense of responsibility, perspective of social life, and general behaviour," Ms Ofori Boadu stated at the end of a two-day training of trainers workshop organised by Women's Assistance and Business Association (WABA) at Sunyani.

Ms Ofori Boadu blamed parents for neglecting their responsibilities at home and depending on the limited (wicked) wisdom of house helps to train their children, whilst they seek for financial empowerment.

She said the Rights of the Child states that; "Every child has the right to grow up with parents and if due to some circumstances your child had to stay with someone else, you must give reasons to that effect".

It is the responsibility of parents to provide clothing, food and shelter for their children. "Parents must maintain their children and see to their development and survival."

She advised single parents whose spouses neglected their responsibilities to send them to the family tribunal for redress. Ms Ofori Boadu, who is also the WABA President called on family unit, teachers, community leaders, chiefs and queen mothers and the district assemblies to team up against irresponsible parents and bring them to book.

Ms Leda Limann, a Legal Practitioner who spoke on Democracy and Human Rights said, to achieve sustainable development in the country, women's democratic and human rights needs to be respected. Women, she said, represent 51 per cent of the population and said there can, therefore, be no development if their rights are trampled upon.

Participants at the workshop called on the Government to resource the department of social welfare, motivate social workers to visit home and provide counselling support to children. The workshop forms part of a nation-wide training of trainers programme embarked upon by WABA and Institute of Democracy and Human Rights Education to empower the women and the vulnerable.