Where, O Malawi, is the love for your future?
By Janet Karim
Where, O Malawi, is the love for your future?
“Finally, all of you, have unity of mind, sympathy, brotherly love, a tender heart, and a humble mind.” (1 Peter 3:8)
Malawi needs to embrace the principle of subsidiarity. In the last three weeks in Malawi, a father and mother dumped their new-born baby due to being too poor to care for the child; a child was killed by a parent who used the dead child to get rich; a parent killed his child to get condolence money from his employers. Adding to this there are many articles of elderly men (some as old as 70 years old) that are defiling girl children at an alarming rate. During the One-Party state of Kamuzu Banda, we all chanted “children are the future leaders of Malawi.”
Children, as the beloved leader-ingredients of Malawi’s future were loved, sent to school, trained, protected with laws that were held as paramount as a way to ensure the nation’s future, were gained safeguarding all things concerning the children. This was love for children, love for the nation’s future and its leaders. In these modern times, the love for children has waned as the country witnesses massive abuse and misuse of children.
It is saddening that in the story where a father and mother made the decision to dump (throw away) their new born baby, numerous people came up and offered all sorts of ways to help the baby. Ironically, despite the outpouring of affection to help look after the baby or find a home for the baby, there was no one offered to help the mother and father keep their children and they would help in looking after their financial needs in raising the child. While the community offered to look after the child but not to the natural parents.
Also saddening is the rise killing children to get rich or defiling (having sex with children) shows an atrocious disregard of the Rights of Children, as enshrined in United Nations laws, of which Malawi is a signatory. Children are the future of all nations of the world.
The misuse or abuse of the nation’s future should be attracting child rights protestors organizing demonstrations against the scourge that Malawian children are facing. The abuse of misuse of children should be attracting demonstrations of the highest order. This is because the malevolent treatment of children is deplorable. Whether it is the killing of children to “create” wealth or elderly men defiling young girls or boys, Malawians must rise and respond to this deep problem the country is experiencing. The problem the country has on its hands – the failure of employing the principle of subsidiarity in our social living. This principle emphasizes that matters or issues affecting us should be handled by the smallest or lowest or least centralized authorities or people. This is preferred to relying or waiting for higher authorities.
Although the higher and centralized authorities are vital in creating the framework of our society’s existence by making national laws; local communities must find ways and means to cope and prevent various events and activities taking place in local communities. This is better than looking to the central government or even distant or foreign entities to come and help in local affairs. Before the central or foreign entities come into our local communities, we must rise up and jump in to offer Malawi-coated assistance: it is neighborly, close by and can therefore be instant.
The instant help part is crucial in the protection of children because children grow up fast, if problems that pester them such as inability of families to feed them, defilement issues and even the killing of children causes pain and suffering of other children. As a nation, Malawians must remove the various dangerous abuses that Malawi’s children encounter. The recent rise in the abuse of children looks to be increasing because the adults in the community choose to be blind, walk away or feel the matter can be sorted by some other entity.
The nation needs to protect our children, all children everywhere. We must protect our future leaders. If you see something treacherous about children, do something. Before outsiders come to Malawi to help alleviate the suffering children are going through, the country must as a nation, stand tall and care, or help each other in the care of children.
See something, do something!
