LOST YOUTH

Issues of child labour and child abuse have had a bulky share of

publicity and advocacy but despite this amount of alarm, the reality on the ground ridiculously scoffs at these efforts.There are no two words about it, child labour is bad. It must be absolutely condemned in the strongest terms. Among other things, many children have had their social and educational development ruined andin fact, it needs not be overemphasized that graduates of child labour or abuse are hostile beyond normal parameters and a bunch of them are chartered thugs with high competence of doing odd anythings for money to carry on with their living.This reality is so painful and these culprits are so young. The more Malawi breeds such children, the more we are guaranteed that another practical crime against an innocent future is committed.Countrymen, are we doing justice to these young fellows? Should mother Malawi take pride in leaving things get bad to worse and rejoice over a booming number of juveniles who have no attribute of getting reformed or rehabilitated?As Malawians, we can collectively arrest this worrisome development and save these lost youth. This younger generation needs special and deliberate policies for justice to prevail in their inevitable misery stimulated by high levels of poverty rocking the country.Stop recruiting children to work on farms, in households manning domestic chores, in the fishing business, in bars, restaurants etc.By allowing these children to be directed towards a life of physical labour and exploitation rather than education, growth and development,Malawi as a country is strangulating itself to the success of this generation and the future generations of community and family leaders thus a self manufactured generational mayheim. Save the lost youth or else the country risks breeding an unproductive crop of youngsters modified from juvenility to habitual hardcore criminals.