AMA, TREAD CAUTIOUSLY (JAN 11, 2011)

THE future of any country lies in its ability to invest in its people, especially the youth who are the future leaders. Any move to the contrary can only spell doom for any community, no matter how well resourced it is.
It is, therefore, normal for any society to be concerned about the future of its youth. The development of the child is essential if society is to be able to regenerate itself.
We must underscore the fact that a more secure and enduring democracy is one that assures its citizens of the most basic necessities of life and the state is enjoined to take appropriate measures to promote the development and growth of the child.
This means that the state has a responsibility to facilitate the education of all children of school age so that those who come out successfully will have jobs and a secure future.
Against this background, the directive by the Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA) that parents who neglect their children and allow them to loiter on the streets of Accra face the risk of arrest by officials of the AMA is well intended but the assembly should tread cautiously.
The AMA said the children themselves, some of whom operate as hawkers, others in the fishing business and other commercial activities, will also be arrested in the exercise designed by the assembly to get more children of school age into the classroom.
Although this move is well-intentioned, the DAILY GRAPHIC thinks the AMA has a Herculean task in trying to legislate against parental irresponsibility.
The phenomenon of streetism can have its roots in social challenges, but it can equally be attributed to the economic difficulties facing most of our compatriots. Children whose parents are wayward and have neglected their responsibility can be dealt with through peer pressure or sanctions envisaged by the AMA.
But we also know that there are many children in the streets of Accra and other commercial centres whose parents cannot be traced readily. The DAILY GRAPHIC believes the challenges of parental irresponsibility and streetism can only be resolved through a multi-sectoral approach.
The fact is that without the involvement of all stakeholders, the AMA will fail to achieve its objectives. Where, for instance, will the AMA accommodate those who will be loitering, especially in our society where the remand rooms at the police stations are overflowing with hardened criminals?
Furthermore, does the AMA think the solution to parental irresponsibility and streetism lie with custodial sentencing and fines to deter others from doing same?
We believe the best option is for the AMA to engage all stakeholders, such as churches, communities, child rights organisations and other civil society organisations, in constant dialogue to find a more practical way to deal with the challenge.
Certainly, let us take steps to deal with some of the deviants in our society who have made life unbearable for law-abiding citizens. But the move to use the law to bring about sanity in our society must be accompanied by the necessary social interventions to provide safety nets for the vulnerable in our communities to enable them to cope with the exigencies of urban communities.
We urge the AMA to put in place a policy intervention that will receive the support of majority in our society, not measures that will attract scorn and anger from the people.