By: Lawrence Ekong
Following the increase in reported rape cases across the country in recent times, the wife of the Akwa Ibom State Governor, Mrs. Martha Udom Emmanuel has called on parents not to abdicate their responsibilities in the upbringing of their children .
Mrs. Emmanuel made the call recently while addressing newsmen in Uyo, the state capital.
The First Lady who frowned at the nonchalant attitude of some parents towards children’s upbringing, stated that it was wrong for them to shift their parental responsibilities to domestic staff, neighbors and strangers, thus exposing their children to violations and molestations.
She emphasized that: ” Parents have the responsibility of grooming their children to become responsible adults so as to reduce incidences of rape in the society ” .
According to Mrs. Emmanuel, parents should diligently train male children to understand that it is not only bad but also criminal to abuse a woman. She equally admonished parents to groom their female children to remain chaste and flee from all forms of immortality .
” With proper upbringing, I am certain that even at adulthood, such good values will continue to be their guiding principles ” . Mrs. Emmanuel stressed .
She also expressed disappointment at the current sad trend where some parents and guardians neglect their children’s education, thus jeopardising their future.
According to her ” A lot of parents feel that government should inherit all their parental roles which is very sad ” .
” Therefore, I want to use this opportunity to call on all parents in our different communities to go back to their responsibilities and train their children in godly ways ” .
The First Lady also decried the resurgence of street kids in the state capital. She said “We have discovered that a lot of children, especially young boys are hanging around the Ibom plaza axis at night . Sometimes these kids leave their houses and their parents are not worried about their whereabouts, so I want to appeal to all the parents to go back to their core responsibilities of proper upbringing of their children ”.
