Corpun file 11631

Ghanaian Chronicle, Accra, 1 July 2003

Irresponsible parents deserve to be flogged - Magistrate

A magistrate of the Dunkwa District Court, Mr. Robert Adjei Djan, has urged parents not to shirk their parental responsibilities since the neglect of their wards would breed indiscipline.

According to the magistrate, the current spate of armed robbery is a function of neglect of children by parents.

Raising this concern at a sitting last Thursday while handling various cases of child maintenance Magistrate Djan asked parents to do well to prevent crimes in society by ensuring a sound upbringing of their children. "Parents need not be asked to live up to their parental obligations including sound education of their children," he warned.

In one of the cases, a parent had refused to cater for his children for eight years. He had also refused to pay a fee of ¢14,000 per year for two years. The court asked the defendant to pay ¢1.5 million in compensation, besides other commitments.

In yet another case, a father of four admitted he gave ¢30,000 every month for the upkeep of the children which attitude the magistrate said was wickedness. "Every human being has a minimum amount of sense and that it was unwise to feed four kids on ¢1,000 a day."

According to Magistrate Adjei Djan it is sheer wickedness on the part of parents to neglect their children and expect to see a better society devoid of crimes.

He suggested that parents who shirk their parental obligations be flogged publicly in line with Sharia law. "Some parents deserve to be whipped," he suggested and wished that Parliament could do something about this.

He warned that any parent who was brought before his court for shirking his parental responsibility would be dealt with in accordance with the law on the rights of children.