I would like to commend the country’s leadership for recommitting to safeguard children’s rights, during the recent 13th National Leadership Retreat. It is true that there are countless of issues that really need urgent attention, as highlighted at the retreat, such as teenage pregnancy, child labour, school dropout and many more. But then such issues, if not tackled now, what would be the best time to? After all, this is the next generation of leaders, who are soon going to determine which direction the country should go in the next three or four decades. In the words of Nelson Mandela, “Children are our greatest treasure. They are our future.” He was right, because children make one third of our population. The African continent is increasingly becoming urbanised and this comes with a positive and negative effect. The positive effect, for example, is easier access to better healthcare, education, infrastructure etc. The negative effect, for example, includes increased traffic, pollution, diseases etc. With more cars on the road, not only is there more traffic but also more accidents. Some of these accidents involve children, being hit on the road, either when they were crossing or playing around. According to the #SaveKidsLives campaign, coordinated by the United Nations Global Road Safety Collaboration, 186,000 children die each year from road traffic related causes, which is more than 500 children killed on the world’s roads daily. I read somewhere recently how one driver recklessly tried to overtake another vehicle, which unfortunately resulted in three schoolchildren (who were trying to cross the road at that moment) being hit and killed on the spot. As society, often times we tend to wait on statistics first, before a serious policy or action can be effected. Though one wonders, are statistics really necessary in this case, especially if it involves the lives of the young generation? An urgent issue that is right in our faces. I notice that the majority of the children, who walk home after school, (both in the urban and rural areas) seem totally oblivious to the vehicles around them. I say this because, I often see them walking with their backs to the vehicles, as opposed to facing the oncoming traffic. It is not their fault, given that they have not been taught this small safety element. I also often wonder if the drivers who tend to drive recklessly are aware or even care that there are children around and that they need be more conscious and alert, just in case a child abruptly decides to cross the road. Having worked in the rural areas a couple of times, I often saw children walk dangerously or playing too close to the roads, while cars and heavy loaded trucks drove by. I acknowledge and commend the tremendous hard work traffic police has done over the years to ensure that there are speed bumps, traffic signs displaying the speed limit and, in certain places, ensuring that schoolchildren get to cross the roads safely. They have also been going around schools (both in urban and rural areas) and teaching schoolchildren about road safety rules. However, there is still more work to be done. These kinds of accidents do not only happen on the main roads, but also in the residential areas. Often times after school, children can be seen playing outside, either in groups or individually – for example, riding around in bicycles. Being children, they are so focused on what they are doing and making sure they enjoy every last minute before heading home, that they sometimes they tend to forget to watch out for cars, especially those that are speeding. My aim is not only raise some awareness but also to offer a solution, in addition to what is already being done. I would like to propose the installation of road safety traffic signs which display warnings of children playing or crossing, from the urban residential areas and schools, to the rural homes and schools, especially those that are close to the main roads, all the way to the borders. In addition, as a suggestion to our African leaders, these signs should be enforced by law, specifically in those areas where there are children (if they are not enforced yet). At least one of these signs needs to be put up – on full display. It is my hope that it would make a huge difference, on top of other safety measures and education that are currently in place and that we all collectively continue to making this great country, the best in every possible way, for not only us but also for the next generation. In conclusion, I again want to quote Nelson Mandela: “There can be no keener revelation of a society’s soul than the way it treats its children”. To care for and protect our children should not be the responsibility of our government only, but also of everyone else in society. The writer is an expert in business development, research and recruitment
