The City of Kigali says that it will hold parents of children roaming around the city aimlessly accountable for putting themselves and the rest of their communities at risk of contracting and spreading Covid-19, The New Times can reveal.

The Vice Mayor in charge of Socio-economic Affairs, Nadine Umutoni Gatsinzi, says that to mitigate the issue of the influx of children found on the streets, the city authorities are signing agreements with their families to protect them better.

"When we find a child, we reunite him or her with the family but parents and grassroots leaders sign an agreement pledging to prevent this from happening again. Should the agreement be breached, the parents risk being penalised," she explained.

There shouldn’t be a reason for a child to be on the streets, others say domestic violence but these are not the reasons children should be in the streets. Local authorities have a responsibility to help most of these issues.

Gatsinzi criticised parents who she says have neglected their duties and seem uninterested in their children’s wellbeing.

"There are families with domestic violence issues, poverty and other problems who still do their best to keep their children in check because that is the primary responsibility of a parent. We continue to talk to grassroots authorities to continue getting closer to these families,” she said.

Youths speak

Minors, especially teens have been left with few options of how to spend their time since the government temporarily suspended school operations on March 15 as a result of the Covid-19 outbreak.

19-year-old Neige Ikuzo says that she had big plans for 2020, a year that she was meant to complete her secondary education.

She says that the directive not to make unnecessary movements has left her anxious.

"For a person like me who likes moving a lot, staying at home has been very challenging. I am idle most of the time and I am always looking for something to keep my sanity intact and to at least teach me busy,” she said

However, Ikuzo was lucky to participate in iDebate Rwanda where she participated in debate competitions and weekly webinars.

She advised the government and other institutions that have children in their mandate to find creative ways to keep children busy.

"My wish is that the government and parents put efforts in creating more learning opportunities through competitions so that we keep our minds busy and sharp as we wait for the next steps,” she said.

For 16-year-old Enock Rutaganda, the best solution to stop youths from roaming around is finding them opportunities to be productive.

"Education should not be something that is limited to a room with four walls but rather something that can adapt to anything. We need options,” he said.

Relate to your children

Francine Uwera Havugimana is a parent who says that the unusual times of Covid 19 are also an opportunity to create relationships with their children.

"Let us spend more time with our children especially during this time when they are not in school, listen to them and get to know them better. Let us be committed to get updated with the times and equip ourselves with what is going on in their world. This will help us to create a relationship where children will trust us,” she said.