Minister of Social Welfare Gender and Children Affairs, Madam Baindu Dassama, has said that our children are our future.
She said this in light of the August 10 protests that took away the lives of many, and the loss and destruction of both government and private properties. This led to the arrests of a total of twenty four (24) young children. Minister Dassama said this is owing to the negligence and bad parenting of these children that has led them to be arrested. She therefore called for them to be given good teachings in society.
She said this on Tuesday 30th August 2022, at the Ministry of Information and Communications, Youyi Building Freetown, in an engagement with the media as per the 24 young children arrested with regards to their status.
She added that even though some of them are from a poor background, it is not an excuse for bad parenting; these children ought to be nurtured and cared for, for who knows what they can be in the future – they can even be presidents of this country!
She continued that her ministry with the ministry of Internal Affairs and key partners had an engagement with regard the release of these children, who have now been handed over to her ministry after being interviewed by the police at the CID.
She assured that a final engagement with President Maada Bio is to be ensured soonest so the children can secure their release as the reopening of schools is expected soon.
She added that to ensure for the registration and assessment of these children, they had to visit their parents who had refused to visit their children for identification as was required of them.
The children were arrested in different places – Makeni, Freetown, and Kamakwe – totaling twenty-four. Among these 24 children, 17 are boys and 7 are girls.
She said they will be released soonest unconditionally before the reopening of schools. And regarding these children, there are three responsibilities at play – that of the government, the parent, and the children themselves.
“Your child is your bank for tomorrow, so they must be taken good care of,” she said.
