Editorial
Children drawn into demonstrations
Political parties must shun the practice
THE latest political crisis rammed home for us certain new realities. That political parties were wilfully employing children in street agitations is a disturbing development. Any law enforcer will hesitate in using riot control equipment on a congregation with children at the forefront. This new phenomenon goes to show precisely how depraved our politics has become. Yet, that is precisely what has happened over the last few weeks of hartal called by the 18-party alliance. And what is alarming to see is that many have sustained injury, some fatal, during these incidences. It is little wonder that Unicef has voiced its concerns over the condoning of such irresponsible acts by mainstream political parties.
The use of children in violent demonstrations not only endangers their lives but weans them away from what is truly important, i.e. education. By embroiling our children in violent politics, we destroy whatever chance they have at building their character and a life that is not steeped in abject poverty. Children above all need to be shielded from such unscrupulous elements who, under the guise of politics, seek to build the next generation of delinquents by trading away books for lethal projectiles and weapons. There are no words to condemn what has now apparently become a routine matter indulged in by certain political forces that will stoop so low as to use children as human shields during demonstrations. Such madness must stop now.
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