‘Parents, let’s stand in our positions’

THE Ministry of Community Development, Gender, Women and Special Groups has launched a National Education Campaign on moral erosion, aimed at providing education to the society hence eradicating immoral and Gender-Based Violence (GBV) actions.

The launch was held at Nyerere Square ground in Dodoma on Monday, as part of the World Family Day celebration that was marked in all regions and councils of the country.

Speaking during the launch, the Minister for Community Development, Gender, Women and Special Groups, Dr Dorothy Gwajima, said that the campaign will be implemented in Mbarali District, Mbeya Region for a period of six months as a feasibility study and after evaluating its results the campaign will be implemented in all councils countrywide.

In addition, Dr Gwajima asked parents and guardians to play their key role of children protection, by having conversation from time to time as well as providing them with all the basic services and needs.

The objective, she said, is to ensure that Tanzania grows strong by having societies with good values.

“Parents, let’s stand in our positions, let’s teach our kids love, dignity and respect. Protect and provide them with their basic needs, we are caring our livestock even more than our kids, how is it when a goat gets lost or a chicken goes missing you will look for it, but when your son or daughter is not seen at home all day you even don’t worry or think of looking for them?

“If we will stand in our positions, we will reduce and eliminate street children, we will eliminate many incidents of crime in the streets as well as reduce acts of moral erosion,” added the minister,” she stressed.

Dr Gwajima asked parents to be careful with electronic devices and social networks and to ensure that they monitor the contents viewed, listened to or read by children, as many of those who use them are at risk of falling into the effects of sexual violence as well as engaging in acts of moral erosion.

“Statistics show that 67 per cent of children aged 12-17 own or use electronic devices such as phones, computers, etc., but more than four per cent of children who use these devices have already been affected by acts of sexual violence through the internet,” she said.

On his part a Member of Parliament, Professor Palamagamba Kabudi (Kilosa) said that love and the real meaning of family is being distorted, that is why acts of moral erosion are on the rise.

“The meaning of family is a father, mother and children; where they should love and respect each other. It is unfortunate that currently few people with financial muscle in the world have changed the real meaning of family and transferred human love to material things.

“Right now, they want to make us believe that a family can be between a man and a man or a woman and a woman, they teach us to love animals and things more than our fellow humans; now if we continue like this, we cannot have a stable society with people who can work and produce,” he added.

Prof Kabudi also asked parents and society in general to learn to love, respect and value each other in order to build united and cohesive families and finally maintain a nation with values and strength.

Assistant Superintendent of Police Force, Dr Emmanuel Kyogo who represented the Inspector General Police (IGP), said that when families are not okay, the Police Force and the Ministry of Internal Affairs get a huge security burden, because crime and immoral acts rapidly increase in the society.

“Let’s work together to build a better family and society, let’s build families with moral youth to ensure that we have a stable and peaceful nation, if we fail to do this we will not be in a safe nation,” he warned.