Several children within the Wa municipality have inculcated the habit of gallivanting around aimlessly at Mid-night in them.

Some of these children spotted between the hours of 12:00am – 04:00am are teenage girls who claimed to have ran away from problems back at home.

According to some of these young girls speaking at random to Upperwestmedia, they factored out several reasons why they roam the streets of Wa.

Factors

1. Parents living in Single rooms with multiple children: Some of these teenage girls have admitted that their parents have a single room which can’t accommodate them all and by this reason they are compelled to be outside to allow their parents get the space to have the pleasure they desire, these parents according to the victims do not ask of their whereabout and are even glad when they go out of the house in order for them(parents) to please their sexual urges.
2. Broken Homes: Some of these children have admitted broken homes have put them through this tragedy of loitering about at night without reasons. Some victims admitted their parents get divorced and when that happens there is little or no monitoring over these children, this exposes them to loitering about aimlessly, others confessed their step mothers become so wild on them and by this action, they are push to stay outside till the house is free during the day, when all have gone out.

3. Flimsy Excuses: Some of these children belong to extended families and in order to be given the opportunity to loiter about, they deceive unconcerned parents they are going to visit a grand parent in another section of town, by this they go and during the night they sneak out of the house without the notice of guardians and loiter around. Others also deceive parents and never visit where they proposed they were going but rather use the opportunity to loiter about with friends.

Most of these enfants interrogated on the streets are from polygamous families where monitoring is low as parents especially the father hardly gets the time to monitor and discipline his extended family due to the fact that some of these breadwinners do not perform their core mandates as parents, these guardians don’t know how their children survive, some of these children beg to eat and even to cloth them selves because most parents don’t bother to spend on such.

The street children interviewed by Upperwestmedia were mostly school dropouts who saw no need to go to school, some dropped at the upper primary level, others at the lower primary for personal reasons and lack of monitoring and supervision.
Most of the boys have also started mounting camps and have used fuel business as a bait to stay out for a longer time at night with some resorting to the abuse of tramadol, a drug unapproved for sales yet have flooded the market at cheap prices, pushing these young boys into drug abuse with some resorting to inhaling Snuff, others patrol as a method to charge themselves.
The Girls have resorting to selling themselves to make ends meets by positioning themselves at advantaged points in town, Fencing wall of the Wa high Court, Fongu cross road, Safari spot opposite School for the blind, Kambali Saana Corner, Maxixco gardens, KG spot in Sombo are some of the areas one can find these children exposing themselves to hazards.

Most people have brought inn their opinions, suggesting nonchalant parents should be fined huge sums for exposing their children to the mercy of the Night, Also parents who fail to engage their children in any form of trade or enroll them in school should be fined and compelled to do as expected.
Finally people have suggested married couple get educated on childbirth and the precautions and control measures to take.

By: Tuorimuo Elvis Philip/Upperwestmedia.net