Children’s Safety During Holidays: Parents Taking Extra Caution

As schools close their doors for the long holiday period, parents and guardians are faced with another challenge. Beyond keeping children occupied, there is need to ensure their safety. With the high rate of infanticide, rape and abuse, most parents are more determined to keep their children safe. For many families, the school calendar provides a structured environment where children are supervised for several hours each day. During holidays, however, this structure disappears, creating opportunities for both recreation and risk. In several households visited by CT, parents revealed that they have adopted different strategies to guarantee the safety of their children. Some enrol them in supervised holiday classes, sports camps, or vocational training centers. “With the happenings around, I do not trust anyone even my closest relatives, so my children will stay with me throughout the holidays. I am not sending them anywhere”, Catherine Aimee Biloa, a mother of three said. "Apart from boredom, there are many dangers outside. “I prefer that they stay at home watching television or engage them in different activities. I always assign chores to them everyday before I leave the house” she added. For Mrs. Armelle Tamba, a mother of three, she has given firm instructions to her children not to open the gate to anyone without her permission. She said she has bought a telephone for the children that she calls from time to tim...