School safety comprises of many interventions put in place by teachers, parents, and other relevant stakeholders to either minimize or completely eradicate threats or risky conditions that could pose adverse effects upon learners in and outside the school environment.
Lately, there have been so many cases where learners are abducted or are lured by into submission by child traffickers.
We can’t substitute our children with anything monetary or material because children are a gift like no other from God Himself.
Some learners have gone missing never to be found again while a few others have been rescued by our police officers from the hands of criminal gangs as others found maimed, dead or even certain parts of their bodies missing and even eyes gouged.
This might be seen as a fairy tale until it affects us directly. “The safety of someone’s child should be seen as the safety of my own child” If there’s trouble at the neighborhood, then am also vulnerable.
Am sure, child trafficking syndicate does not happen by a criminal gang that is away in space. Most of such cases are witnessed by people well known to the child.
It’s the sole duty of parents to ensure that they have fully liaised with class teachers to ensure that the learners are safe to and from school.
Most learners would mysteriously disappear as they play outside the home environment. Some would disappear to or from school.
Schools are therefore seen as the absolute conduit upon which the children can be sourced en route to the traffickers designated destinations.
It’s the duty of parents to ensure that their children have reached school then they also make an effort to ferry them back.
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According to the National Council of Children’s Services and the International Labor Organization, child labor and trafficking are so rampant in Kenya and it’s estimated that we lose a total of 17,500 children annually. Some of those trafficked are subjected to domestic work, forced labor or sexual exploitation.
This calls for concerted efforts among all citizens and immediate action to eradicate this vice.
Let’s all respect our leaders and our country in the spirit of patriotism since countries that have experienced civil unrest, political instability, and internal armed conflict, have had many families breaking and their children converted very fast into slaves.
Parents, teachers and other stakeholders have to educate learners on child trafficking. Capacity building has to be done by all people of good will as well as faith based organizations.
Teachers have to record details of all people that are directly answerable to the child which would include their contacts, to eradicate the temptation of strangers pretending to have knowledge of the child.
Why should we lose our learners? Suppose many more are trafficked, the teacher’s job will definitely be at stake.
The bus drivers have to be inducted from time to time on the safety of learners and have to ensure that they have handed back learners to the rightful parents or guardians.
By Hillary Muhalya
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