Child-headed families contribute to Letlhakane’s rampant crime

LETLHAKANE: Police in Letlhakane are sounding the alarm on child-headed families they say add to the rising crime in the Letlhakane policing area. In his address at a kgotla meeting on crime update, Letlhakane Police Station commander, Superintendent Michael Maphephu, said children head most families in their policing area.

He stated that minors give birth before the age of 14 and are left to fend for themselves and their babies. Maphephu said, at this point, they are still children who are unable to raise a child on their own, let alone be a parent. The station commander added that some of the children abandon their babies at six months old. He noted that a child who is abandoned at that age will be raised on survival or brought up by great-grandparents or neighbours.

According to Maphephu, these are the same children who become victims of rapists and sexually assaulted by unidentified individuals when their parents are away.

He argued that when these youngsters reach the age of 13, they go astray and live with their boyfriends while their parents are away.

Some will look for other sources of income and get involved in illegal activities at a young age, such as housebreaking, robberies, stock theft, defilement, or rape, said Letlhakane police boss. “This trend is extremely concerning because we have observed that some young fathers and mothers participate in sexual activity in front of their children, who then follow suit, believing that this is the appropriate thing to do,” he said. “Please let us speak with young parents on how to care for their children.” Maphephu also said some parents will engage in kinds of sexual activities as part of their hustle to support their families.

In the follow-up, children will see their homes stocked with food and other essentials, exposing them to the idea of having sexual partners as a way to earn a living.

He warned that lacking mentoring, in the case of the girl-child, she would eventually emulate her mother and become pregnant as a teenager. Maphephu stated that children can be seen wandering around the Letlhakane Mall, Choppies, and Spar complexes without the presence of their parents or guardians.

He continued that some travel in groups and go to these malls intending to work hard to find something to eat for themselves and their younger siblings.

The station chief further disclosed that they intend to pick up all the children they see in the malls without adult supervision and charge the guardians and parents with child negligence. He said since the beginning of the year, they have charged about 10 parents for child negligence.

Maphephu found it worrisome that the child victims would have endured rape and defilement from the age of six. He further said since the establishment of a child-friendly centre, which deals with children and GBV, there is an increase in reports of defilement and rape cases.

In March this year, Executive Secretary of Childline Botswana Olebile Machete told the City of Francistown Full Council meeting that about 15,000 children have parental responsibility for households in the country. According to Machete, two percent of the 737,241 children are leading households where there is a chance they will lose out on their formative years and their education.