Page 63 - Msingi Afrika Magazine Issue 15

Leadership

line predators begin communicating and what you go through to just
to your children, suggesting more keep them comfortable. During the
sites, and before they know it they weekend, take them for a treat and
have been initiated into pornograph- talk. Children are willing to open up
ic content. With their twisted mind on a myriad of things. Talk to them
games, your child is instructed to about growth and puberty, how they
close the doors when they are not feel about the challenges they face
alone in the house, and before they and how to overcome them. Our
know it, they are hooked. I once young boys are often exploited by
overheard a parent talking about house helps, uncles, and close family
how their neighbor’s child was taken members, because if you do not talk
to the hospital unconscious, only to your child, the world will exploit
to discover that the teen had used them and teach them all the wrong
some Viagra, turning him into a things they can. This is the 21st cen-
porn addict. tury and you have to say it as it is.
I am sure you have heard cases
The said predators are prevalent where young boys rape girls at the
on social media platform targeting age of 9 to 15 years old, as a result
school-going children by in-boxing of actions that they thought were
them and telling them how pretty right, as they learned them from Does it have to wait until you go
and handsome they look. They go those laptops, phones and the wire- through emotional stress from
ahead telling these vulnerable chil- less internet on which you frequent- society, rejection, regret, pain,
dren that they want to meet them ly load airtime and data. It does not depression, and not saying you are
in person and change their lives. mean that your intention was bad, a bad parent? Please stop being too
Eventually, they exchange contacts these things are crucial in the hustle busy for your child, because if not,
and commence calling your children and bustle of our lives. You do not you will be made to be present on
when their parents are away so that need to call people to come to your their burial day. As hard as it sounds,
as a parent would not sense any house to check on your children, I am sure it would be inevitable to
suspicious activities. Interestingly, because again we trust no one so forget and forgive yourself for your
these predators send them airtime to speak and to keep them indoors absenteeism in your child’s growth.
and ask them to delete their con- means that multimedia devices be- You can lose and recover money but
versations, still in attempts to avoid come a gateway to harmful content. not a son or daughter.
being discovered by their parents. Online predators are all over. Police
What the children do not know is will do their job but you can prevent
a negative outcome by constantly
that they have been recruited and
Do You Know Your Child? have specific instructions on where talking to your child and getting to The author is a mentor, trainer and writer bear-
know your child further.
to meet these predators. Either they
ing adequate experiences in business development
pick them up in private cars, or ask
them to use local motorbike trans- How I wish you could give your and brand management success.
port, assuring them that they will children healthy tasks and activities LinkedIn:linkedin.com/in/robertmmwangi
pay on arrival. In regard to private such as learning how to code and
cars, they use women to pick them develop applications, recording
up, to avoid raising the alarm. A videos for YouTube, marketing
child falling victim to this would products, making door mats, Do It
be likened to a sheep going to a Yourself (DIY) of seats and clothes
slaughter house where she or he can repairs. These types of information
be sex trafficked or taken through are online, choose a few, for they
other worse ordeals. will be gaining more skills and expe-
rience. Let them learn the theoretical
Parents please take 10 minutes of part on the internet, rather than
your time every day to talk to your eventually using more money on
teenager. Remind them that you love rehab facilities.
them and they are very important to
you. Engage them about your work When will you have a wakeup call?

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