Government to start punishing irresponsible parents-Patricia Kaliati

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Patricia Kaliati

The Malawi government through ministry of gender, disability, children, and social welfare says it will soon deal with all irresponsible parents who are deliberately training their children to be professional street kids.

The remarks were made by the minister responsible Patricia Kaliati on Thursday during this year’s commemoration of International day of people with disability held at Chibavi primary school ground in Mzuzu.

She maintained that her ministry has learnt with great concern at the increase in number of street kids in the country despite government’s efforts to eradicate the practice.

“We will try to give them back their children for them to take good care of them. Those who will not comply will be arrested and my ministry will see to it that they are severely punished for subjecting children to such practice of street begging and hustling,” she said.

She added that government is strategizing on coming up with solutions on how best it can help street kids who have nowhere to go.

“We are strategizing on coming up with a place where such children can be raised to be good children and not street hustlers,” she added. In all four major cities of the country, street kids are still a common sight. Some are carry out various businesses while others are just thieves who jostle and disturb people in town. Some quarters have since attributed the problem to poverty which most of the street kids are subjected to in their homes. At the function, Kaliati also said that her ministry will discipline people who are fond of abusing the disabled. She said it hurts her to hear that some Malawians are maltreating people with albinism for satanic purposes. “Once such people are caught, they will face the full arm of the law. Because it is inhuman to be abusing people with disabilities, they are people like every normal person, they can do everything. Disability is not inability.

“Some lock up their children with disabilities in Kholas. That’s not good, instead they must be taking such children to school because they too have right to education,” she said.

The function which was hosted by MACOHA saw people with various disabilities showcasing different skills.