But if a picture tells a thousand words, what’s behind it may fill a book. Especially if that book was also documenting the “Dezemba unwind”. Suddenly, the overdose of chubby cheeks and results is strong enough to give us amnesia of what the country and its children went through just weeks earlier.
While there are many incredible parents who try their best in trying circumstances, and deserve to be praised, the reality is that there are far too many who let their morals go on vacation in December, believing there will be no consequences. This was driven home this week when the Eastern Cape Department of Social Development revealed more than60 cases of child abandonment and sexual abuse were registered in the province last month. And those were just the cases reported or instances discovered.
There is no doubt that numerous such cases exist in each of the other eight provinces over the same period, potentially totalling thousands of children left in vulnerable situations. Awol parents who leave their children at home while they go drinking and partying are not a December problem, but the stats suggest it is amplified during the festive season. And even when kids are brought along to the party, parents forget their responsibilities and act recklessly.
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It is then little wonder that children asyoung as three were caught drinking over the period. You don’t need an expert to tell you that it is not normal for children to drink and that they are simply mimicking the bad examples around them. In their defence, the parents claimed they weren’t aware that the children were drinking and said they now fear being judged by their community.
These selfish excuses are a weak attempt at self-preservation and further highlight that neglect can happen from 10m as easily as from 10km. We should fear accountability; it is the thread that holds society back from anarchy. Sadly, in South Africa, accountability can be too easily evaded, and a blind eye turned for a cold drink.
So when you can’t get away with something, you are genuinely shocked and confused. This holds true with politicians and ordinary citizens. Parents, like the leaders of this country, are not innocent bystanders but active guardians and custodians.
They need to be less shocked and more introspective. They need to stop blaming others, even three-year-olds, for their neglect and look at where they have failed. There are only so many excuses and promises to change before the act gets old.
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