Africa-Press – Botswana. Poor parenting is one of the factors leading to drug abuse among children, says chairperson of Jwaneng District Teen Club Committee, Ms Matshidiso Keitiile.
She said this during an Anti-Drug Abuse workshop targeting learners in Jwaneng and surrounding areas, held under the theme ‘I Won’t let Drugs Get in the Way of my Dreams’ held here Wednesday.
The purpose of the workshop, which attracted various stakeholders, was to sensitise learners on the effects of drugs on their school work and life in general, as well as to offer solutions to drug abuse and overcoming addiction.
Ms Keitiile urged parents to be friends with their children and create healthy communication channels in their homes. “Our homes should be a safe haven for our children, especially during this era of challenging and overwhelming situations,” she said.
She regretted that some parents used money to parent their children, while others had given the responsibility to teachers. Furthermore, Ms Keitiile implored Batswana to retrace their steps and re-build robust family structures where everyone played a role in children’s lives.
“We need to take stock of ourselves before we point fingers. As adults we need to play our role before we can blame children for their behaviours,” she said.
She also took a swipe at adults who engaged other people’s children to distribute drugs while they would not do the same with theirs. Additionally, she urged learners to be true to themselves and avoid giving in to negative peer pressure which was destructive to their future. She said:
“Whatever you do behind closed doors will eventually come in the open.”
For his part, Jwaneng customary court president, Kgosi Duncan Serumola lauded organisers for creating a platform for various stakeholders to come and address the issue, which was a concern especially among school-going children in Jwaneng. While he supported the recommendation made by the Presidential Commission of inquiry into the Review of the Constitution to apply capital punishment on drug lords, he also advised learners to look out for each other and report such incidents to relevant authorities.
“As you will be getting all this information and advice, go out and share with other learners who might be involved in drugs, and make it a habit to report such incidents to your teachers so that they can be nipped in the bud,” he said.
He also appealed to parents to be cautious when giving money to children, as well as monitor how they spent it. Giving an overview of drugs in his policing area, Officer Commanding No. 14 District, Senior Superintendent Banneetse Keakile said that drug usage by learners had resulted in increased incidents of violence in schools perpetrated against fellow learners and teachers.
“We have realised that drugs are rampant in schools and this has resulted in questionable behavior displayed by students,” he said.
He urged learnersto be careful not to be used anywhere in the illicit drug value chain, lest they found themselves on the wrong side of the law. Snr Supt Keakile noted that a total of 27 drug-related cases were reported in his jurisdiction in 2021, against 25 last year, with more males involved as compared to females. “You will recall that there were COVID-19 movement restrictions in 2021 yet we still recorded such cases, so clearly…these drug lords do not care about people’s lives.”
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