THIS IS A SAD WAY FOR A CHILD TO DIE

Mar 03, 2010 Features / Columnists, Peeping Tom

On Phagwah Day, a young man met his death while swimming with friends in a reservoir or backwash being constructed for Guyana Water Incorporated (GWI). The youth either did not heed the warnings that had been issued over time by the GWI or was unaware that the facility posed a threat to life and limb.
According to reports in the newspaper, the facility which is still under construction was used as a skating and riding rink by youths who were obviously oblivious to the dangers involved.
As one person bemoaned, it had to take the life of a child for the message to get through. Old people have a saying in Guyana; “If you don’t hear you are going to feel.”
How tragic that it had to take the life of a child for this message to register. And what is even more striking is that when the child’s lifeless body was pulled from the reservoir, his friends ran away, unable to face the consequences of what took place.
But however much the actions of his friends cannot be forgiven, the question that has to be asked is how was this child, so young, able to leave home and participate in swimming without the knowledge of his parents. The facts of this particular case are not known and there is no blame-sharing involved here. But the point has to be emphasized that too many children are roaming around their communities with their friends without being accompanied by their parents and in some instances without the knowledge of their parents.
Thus whatever the investigation into this incident reveals, what should emerge from this tragedy is a commitment on the part of all parents to have their children under the frock tails. Too many children in Guyana are “straying” far from home and too many parents are not taking the time out to adequately supervise their children’s playtime.
Instead of swimming in a dangerous facility, these children could have been at home reading a book or watching a movie. Instead they went out and endangered their lives.
There used to be a time in this country when adults seeing children up to mischief could discipline these children. That is no longer the case today. In fact, there is often a blatant disregard for adult authority in our children.
We are producing in this country a new breed of children, those who have adult rights and attitudes even before they reach puberty. Some teachers would tell you how difficult they find it to discipline some children and how at times when they do impose disciplinary actions, some parents take umbrage at their actions.
Children are also living what they see. When they come from homes in which there is abusive conduct, they can end up imitating this conduct when they become adults. And so a vicious cycle of violence is repeated generation after generation.
It is unfortunate, of course, that the children involved in last Monday’s incident did not have a proper facility to go and play. In every community there should be playgrounds and swings and slides so that children with their parents can have healthy recreation.
But what do we find in many communities? The authorities are seeking to convert every conceivable plot of land into a house lot. A few days ago it was reported in the papers that there was a plan to sell a playfield in a suburban area. Now if this sale had materialized what provision would have been made for the children of that area to have a playfield? These children would have ended up playing on the roadway, which is also happening in many areas, and which is also a danger.
The government must therefore not maximize housing development at the expense of recreation. Lands that are set aside for playgrounds should be graded and kept in a good condition, so as to provide the necessary facilities for our children. Yet so often you hear about plans to take in reserves and play grounds for housing development.
The lesson of this terrible tragedy, which occurred on Phagwah Day, should ensure that there is greater supervision of children’s playtime, and equally, that facilities for the recreation of children are established in every community.

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