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Month: January 2021

The Lessons for Economic Growth from the Developmentalists

Posted on by Web Master

Ethiopians have lived through three different regimes with divergent socioeconomic visions. After the violent demise of the Imperial government, the Dergue, a military regime condemned nearly everything its predecessor believed in and did and declared itself the guardian angel of the nation’s interest.

Little of the past was taken as a basis to build on. It established its political direction with allied policy guides and completed its course with near-destruction of the fabric of the politico-economic system.

The EPRDF came after, labeling the Dergue as an agent of destruction that never cared for development and human lives. It then came up with its own political and policy directions and planted its relatively novel idea of federalism drawn based on ethnic self-determination. It also established itself as a guardian angel of the system of ethnic federalism.

Both of these ill-conceived turns of politics made the country a nation of experiments in growth and development. The missing phenomenon here has been political stability with a democratic environment as a channel for people’s voices. This is without mentioning a continuity or the sustainability of policy guides with necessary adjustments to meet changing conditions for people-centred, growth-based development.

The EPRDF’s economic view, considering that it was the most recent and perhaps had the most consequential effect in terms of structural transformation, is worth pondering.

The economic model of the developmental state was borrowed from the East and Southeast Asians. The concept originated in Singapore (with a population of 5.6 million) following the short-lived merger with Malaysia. The strategy meant complete cooperation between the public and private sectors to bring about social and economic equality based on high growth and development. It worked. Institutional quality for effective implementation of the model has been first class. The nexus of complementarity between democracy, growth and equality is fully realised. Basic in all these was the visionary leadership.

By 2015, 90pc of Singaporeans were homeowners and per capita income stood at around 70,000 dollars. The gross domestic product (GDP) was 323.9 billion dollars with a growth rate of 4.3pc.

With 1.3 million people, Mauritius borrowed the strategy and applied it to the great advantage of it people. It raised its per capita GDP from 400 dollars in the 1980s to 6,700 dollars by 2015. A great majority of its population (87pc) are currently homeowners. Mauritius decided that military spending was a waste. Transportation for elders and school children became the responsibility of the government, the former because of what they have done for society, the latter because they are the nation’s future. Also provided to all citizens are free healthcare and free college education. The nation’s attribute has not been the availability of natural resources but a genuine commitment for equitable growth and development.

Ethiopia borrowed the idea of the developmental state but not the practice. Inequality, instability and inadequacy of social services including quality-based education and health services became the living burdens of Ethiopians. Granted, between the 1990s and the 2010s, poverty was halved and famines, despite two major droughts in the early 2000s and mid-2010s, were avoided. This is no easy feat. Unfortunately, it did not produce political stability.

There are lessons that could be taken and certain measures that could be considered as a way forward. Decentralised planning, harmonised with the overarching central plan is critical. This should be strengthened with developed and empowered human capacity as well as institutional competence at a regional level.

A focused agricultural policy with an emphasis on incentives and access to credit and inputs for small farmers should be at the top of the agenda, as should land reform that gives ownership rights with entitlement to private individuals. This effort could be complemented by continuing to aggressively support labor-saving technology, improved seeds, market infrastructure, fair pricing policy and demonstration farms. Such policies should be undertaken with the view that securing agricultural efficiency is the bedrock to economic development and the success of other sectors.

The people bearing the brunt of under-development and poverty, the problems afflicting them, the soil they depend on, the resource potential and the bad health conditions along with their causal factors, are all in the regions. Down-to-earth planning and implementation are supposed to be based on these realities. Anything else is imaginary and without any development effects, and thus decentralisation should be put into effect.

The sooner we abandon that unworkable practice of exclusive centralised planning by a national centre and decentralise to involve regional centres and the people in the decision-making process, the earlier we achieve results in terms of equitably diffusing lasting socioeconomic benefits across geographic space and society.

Time is of the essence. Arthur Wellesley, the Duke of Wellington, was a British national famous for defeating France’s Napoleon at the Battle of Waterloo in the 19th century. He was once asked what the secret of his success in life was, and he put it memorably as follows:

“I do the day’s business in the day,” he answered, “never procrastinate by putting off action and making empty excuses for doing so.”

A great lesson of universal truth for success. It is also an important attribute to internalise for an administration governing a country with vast developmental potential.

Volunteerism: No Easy Input to Social Cohesion

Posted on by Web Master

In the realm of social development, the presence of citizen participation is crucial. It fosters cohesive, safer, and increased social network between communities. There are strong precedents for this type of partnership. That is volunteerism, where citizens commit themselves to support their community without an obvious reward and become a member protected by the community.

For many, volunteerism is an opportunity to contemplate social responsibility and efficient partnership to achieve a certain social transformation and sustainable development. Volunteering is an act of an individual or group freely giving time and labour for community service. Intuitively speaking, it benefits both society and the individual by strengthening trust, solidarity and reciprocity among the community members.

Volunteerism is, of course, not just seen as an act of kindness. It is also a way for many young people to explore interests and passions by making time outside of work, which can be a relaxing and energising escape from day-to-day chores or family commitments.

Volunteerism has for long been an element of religious movements, many of those with large followings appearing to be pro-poor and advocating support systems for the economically disadvantaged.

But the concept has also been awakened over the past couple of centuries with the concept of humanism. Countries that aspired to create more egalitarian societies have seen non-profits and civil societies grow in prominence.

It seemed to be with the view articulated by French political scientist Alexis de Tocqueville in his seminal, “Democracy in America,” when he said that “the health of a democratic society may be measured by the quality of functions performed by private citizens.”

In more egalitarian societies, the impact of volunteerism created interactions that served as an element of bond and social support among communities. Hence, these building blocks are attributable to creating a healthy civil society at local community levels where citizens interact and create support systems to cushion the political and economic forces that may come from above or at the national level.

Considering the current global situation, bitterness, dysfunction and sometimes outright conflict, volunteerism could play an indelible role. It may not address all of the political problems, but it could help create the environment for dealing with them.

It could have benefits not related to the pursuit of a more stable and cohesive community at the individual level. These encompass building connections, and networks through exposure to individuals outside of one’s immediate circle, skills transfer, and sharing experiences. Valuable assets central in bringing volunteer efforts, including compassion and open-mindedness, which are critical for galvanising authentic dialogue, can also be learned,

In an employment-related context, different sectors of society, including government and volunteering, offer a chance to try out a new career to build upon experiences without a long-term commitment. This is concerned with the methods and tools employers use to support employees that want to volunteer. Unless it is facilitative and coordinative – as it mainly fails to be in many internship programmes – it may serve as a backseat.

An array of policy framework outlining a “Volunteer Policy/Act” is needed to redefine volunteerism through public service as a national agenda that promotes and encourages volunteering for social, economic and political development. A call for action to integrate volunteerism in the education curriculum will institutionalise the concept in the academic institutions, enabling to continuously devise ways to nurture and sustain engagement with community services.

Establishing a national registration and networking system will also come in handy to improve coordination among volunteers and organisations, particularly in sharing and complementing information, experiences and resources.

Diaspora, Behind Many Fancy Gates

Posted on by Web Master

Recently, I went to one of Addis Abeba’s rich suburbs, behind Bole Medhanialem, to fetch an item from a friend. Walking through, there was no shortage of nice parked cars, fancy gates and houses that resembled a mini presidential palace.

Tucked in the middle, a sore in the eye, was a small house, an excuse of a slum. It was out of place and a bit secluded. Two women sat outside of the house, talking among themselves. Their voices were barely audible, but later, as they got caught up in the conversation, they began talking loudly and emotionally.

I became curious about their conversation, and right then, as if they read my mind, one of the women dressed in a long grey dress asked me if I was waiting for someone. I said yes and was offered a stool to sit on. I accepted the offer and made my self cosy.

They asked if I was new to the area. I was. But I was about to be introduced to it in detail.

“We were just talking about how most people in this neighbourhood seemed rich but weren’t really rich,” one of them said.

Judging from the gates and the cars, it is hard to say they were not, it seemed to me.

“See that is the thing,” she continued. “Most of the people don’t live in these houses. They rent them as guest houses for diaspora or foreigners. That explains the expensive cars.”

Interesting. Still, it makes the owners of the houses rich. They must live lavishly somewhere else with the rent money they get. We live in an era in Ethiopia where houses can be rented for upwards of 100,000 Br for embassies or businesses.

“Most live in condominiums or cheap houses and don’t even own a car,” the women explained. “Most of the people that look after the houses have family members abroad – the real owners of the houses.”

The ones who live here were just trustees who collect the rent money and use it for themselves as they do not seem to have a stable income source. It is not an out of place occurrence. Many diaspora own homes in Ethiopia, but usually, it is looked after for them by some relative here. They either share or take the entire rent money.

“Most of the homes’ owners are parents or elder siblings who live abroad,” one of the women added. “They support their children or siblings financially. Meanwhile, the children don’t work and live off the rent money.”

The older of the two complained that the relatives here spend the cash on addictive substances. This is easy money, thus they are lazy and do not have jobs. At least that was their assessment.

With an estimated three million Ethiopian people living outside of Ethiopia, where most other countries are rich, many of us at home have come to depend on them. Even though it is generous of them to send us money, it has made us, and in many ways the country itself, dependent on them. Even the government looks forward to remittances, usually amounting to billions of dollars annually, to service its foreign currency shortage.

“What about you, what’s your story?” I asked once my curiosity got the best of me.

The older of the two, the aunt of the younger one, went on. She started raising her when she was five years old after her parents got divorced. Her mother went to Bahrain, and her father remarried. Things were not too bad, as she had a big house with rooms in the backyard to rent.

But her eldest son started gambling and drinking. The house was in his name. Thus, when the going got tough, he sold it, and there they were.

“I bought this house with the little money I had saved up,” she said. “Regardless of what he did, I still love him, but I couldn’t save him.”

He has since moved to South Africa through illegal routes. She does not know about his whereabouts. She prays every day to see him once more.

The person I was waiting for showed up at around this time. I thanked them for the chair and the conversation. They told me to come by and see them if I ever came to the neighbourhood again. I left with sadness in my heart.

What if he is still a gambler and an alcoholic and breaks her heart again? Was it better if he was out of her life for good or if he reappeared again?

Maybe he is a changed man now. But one thing is for sure. Things are not what they really seem, and there are more pressing issues than a diaspora family member spoiling us with the easy rent money that comes from it.

Each Conflict Brims with Lessons, If Ethiopia Listens

Posted on by Web Master

There is an unintended consequence to armed conflicts and wars – internationalised or not. They can serve as great lessons, especially of the cost of violence and the need for empathy. Sometimes, this lesson does not come as evident, but eventually, it becomes clear as daylight for those sensible enough.

Take World War I. It was a function of stunted diplomacy, fought out of European leaders’ delusion that the “balance of power” order of the 19th century could be carried over into the 20th. They were direly mistaken. A prince’s assassination led to enough dominos falling that a war in scale hitherto unseen was launched. Close to 22 million people died. There was also the massacre of Jews in Russia and Armenians in what was then the Ottoman Empire, according to historical sources.

What did the world learn from this?

Surprisingly, it was a racially insensitive Southerner from the United States that was the more clearheaded about it. Woodrow Wilson was a strong supporter of an international order underwritten by a multilateral institution known as the League of Nations. An idealist, if not naive, Wilson introduced his famous Fourteen Points speech, underlining that “mutual guarantees of political independence and territorial integrity to great and small states alike” should be the order of the world.

It was not to be. The victors moved to humiliate the loser, Germany; the United States, already the most powerful country at that point, shunned the League; and the multilateral institution belied its ineffectiveness after Japan invaded China’s Manchuria and Italy occupied Ethiopia.

By the 1930s, the economic devastation of the Great Depression and national resentment created an environment that served as a cesspool of populism, nationalism and fascism. From Germany, the cruelest of these gave itself the name Nazi, stole the swastika as its icon, declared the Aryan race superior, and established a totalitarian government. The National Socialists in Germany started a war that killed about 70 million people, including the extermination of two-thirds of Europe’s Jews.

This time, thankfully, the atrocity was too deep, too graphic and too global. More than that, it ended with the United States dropping atomic bombs in two cities of Imperial Japan – this was despite a bombing campaign that had burned most cities of Japan to the ground. As cynical as it sounds, it was the possibility of mutually assured destruction that was the main driving force in pushing the superpowers toward agreeing to international order. It was one where conflict-stricken countries are assisted in reconstruction; development was supported through multilateral institutions; and it was declared that “never again” would the world look on idly as atrocities of mass scale are committed.

It was only half successful. Its most tremendous success was avoiding any war between superpowers, which, had they occurred, may have ended human civilization as we know it.

But wars never went away, least of all in Ethiopia. During the Dergue years, civil war raged for 17 years. It stunted our economic growth, saw a genocidal urban campaign (a politicide) in the form of the Red Terror, and allowed one million people to perish from famine in the northern part of the country.

Did we learn a lesson? As we came out of the war in 1991, did we say “never again”? Never again should our people suffer, not just death, but the deprivations of the developmental repercussions as more resources went into buying bullets and tanks instead of food?

We did not. We took a respite for some seven years and fought with a country barely half a decade old, Eritrea. An estimated 70,000 to 100,000 died – the figure is debatable, because life in armed conflict becomes so valueless, it is often hard to account for all of the losses.

This should have taught us a lesson. War is terrible. Unfortunately, it did not. An armed conflict erupted last November between the forces of the federal and Tigray regional governments. Everyone throws around “thousands” as an estimate, but little is known. Atrocities were committed, most notably in Mai-Kadra, and according to refugee testimonials, cities like Adigrat and Axum as well. About 4.5 million people are estimated to need humanitarian aid. The government says it is catering to the need. Humanitarian agencies say that it is not enough.

Have cool heads finally prevailed, considering how vivid and recent this armed conflict has been?

It does not seem to be. Everyone is pointing hands. The political space is not being reconsidered as a culprit for the failures of the past three years. No one is assuming responsibility. Everyone believes that it is everyone else’s fault.

The victors believe that their victory is not decisive enough. The losers believe the problem was that they did not have sufficient arms. Few with voices audible enough are willing to acknowledge that the very use of violence as a means to advance a political agenda is what perpetuates this tragedy.

We have learned nothing.

Love Unto Live Performance: Forgotten Piece of Acting

Posted on by Web Master

Mark Twain, American author and satirist, once, unable to find a clean shirt in the house, began cursing like there was no tomorrow. After a while, his wife repeated each word she thought he had articulated.

However, when she finished, Twain heaved a big sigh and said, “My dear, you have the words, but you don’t have the music.”

It was all about the turns and twists of emotions in strings that she was short of. And for decades after then, as before, it would go on to haunt those that perform.

It has not been that different in Ethiopia with “Fikir Eske Meqaber,” which can be translated as “Love Unto the Crypt,” a true masterpiece of Amharic literature by any standard. Nonetheless, on this occasion, the music was there. The book was brought to life when it was read on Ethiopian radio. The book’s distinct emotional repertoire was livened, as confirmed by its author, Hadis Alemayehu.

Pegging his pieces with his almost pioneering creative writing, Mesfin Habtemariam, essayist, once lamented that a video recording did not complement the audio. He was right. One can only imagine if it was as excellent a film production, but the radio series remained vivid in many people’s minds. Today, few books have the acclaim and recognition Hadis’ book has, and this was in part owing to that audio programme.

The suffering of adapting to another medium and, if lucky, its magic did not stop with what today would have been referred to as an audiobook. There was also the Russian classic, “The Government Inspector,” by Nikolai Gogol.

“To place a purely literary valuation upon it and call it the greatest of Russian comedies would not convey the significance of its position either in Russian literature or in Russian life itself,” wrote Thomas Seltzer, in his introduction to the book for which he did the translation. “There is no other single work in the modern literature of any language that carries with it the wealth of associations which the Inspector-General does to the educated Russian is how he summed it up.”

Adapting such a book would be daunting. When it was staged in Ethiopia, in its Amharic rendition, a Russian theatre actor who played the lead there was invited. He highly hailed the comedic nature of his counterpart, only through the physiological display of each and every emotion. It was a token of the performer’s prowess, walking the culturally distinct borders of emotion.

The actor that played the protagonist was Wegayehu Nigatu, who was a close collaborator of Debebe Eshetu. He was an excellent actor whose mark on the industry has rarely been replicated. Fortunately, a live monument, reminiscent of his dedication to the stage, unwaivering will to accept a range of roles and the epitome of the hard worker, is being erected for him. It is nothing other than institutionalising his contribution through a show that hunts for actors.

The show took his nickname, “Wegisho” and is running on Balageru TV.

In the show, performers articulate their cases through their chosen monologues, in a matter of minutes. They come in a variety of character types, moods and ages. Through their acting chops, they try to capture the attention and win the hearts and minds of the judges.

The audience will most likely be tuning in for the sake of entertainment. But some of it will for the nostalgia of it, through hopefuls who attempt to recreate the magic of acting passed down to them through the generations.

Years back, people used to be amused by the long lines of people outside the gates of the National Theatre, as they waited to get their tickets to be witness to a stage where acting was taken deadly serious. There is very little of this today, and one shudders to imagine how today’s performers would have brought to life Fikir Eske Meqaberor The Government Inspector.

One-Person Company, Late but Critical Addition to Commercial Code

Posted on by Web Master

The current Commercial Code, enacted in 1960, was ahead of its time considering Ethiopia’s stage of development. Six decades later, many things have changed, making an amendment necessary. In particular, this is true following the adoption of a mixed economy by Ethiopia since the 1990s and the free market bent of Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed’s (PhD) administration.

The existing Code contains many provisions that are difficult to implement and subject to different interpretations and applications. Moreover, to improve the commercial activities and the living standard of citizens, revising the existing law that strikes the right balance between investors, traders and consumers is imperative. The amendment of the Code was long overdue.

One of the many things the new draft Commercial Code introduces is a one-person company. A person can currently do business only in the form of a sole proprietorship if he wants to go at it alone.

Various factors necessitate the recognition of a one-person company. First and foremost, the existing gap becomes increasingly evident between the prohibition of one-person companies and the permission of companies that have nominally two members. In this circumstance, the majority of the shares can be held by a single shareholder, up to 99pc in fact.

The legal prohibition of the one-person company can also be easily evaded so that the actual founding member relies on the services of one or more persons, formally undertaking some role in the company without the need for them to engage in substance. Members involved in the company but having no concrete function with symbolic shares can become a source of problems and quarrels for a real shareholder.

As a result, the existence of de facto one-person companies has raised a series of problems that the legislature could not avoid addressing by the prohibition of the one-person company.

By allowing natural persons to set up one-person companies in the form of limited liability, a distinct legal personality from the member, a part of the population would find a means of integration into the economy. This will positively impact small enterprises, where entrepreneurs will not have as much a reason to fear that they will lose all their property as a consequence of an eventual abortive business transaction.

Unlike the current Code, which defines a business organisation as an association between two or more persons, the draft indicates that a business organisation is an association established through a memorandum by persons – plural. Notwithstanding this, the Code goes on to define a one-person company as an association.

Recognised as a business organisation, it is also indicated that a one-person company shall also acquire legal personality upon registration in a commercial register. As a corollary to this, it has a legal personality separate and distinct from that of the member.

There are, however, serious concerns as to the appropriateness of such business organisations as it leads to manipulation. Thus, to avert this risk, the draft follows a hybrid form of liability. In principle, the owner of the company is not liable for any claim triggered by the company. Despite this, in cases where the owner committed certain acts, it will be jointly and severely liable with the company.

Some of these crimes include the commission of an unlawful act that intentionally jeopardises the company’s interests or its creditors; merger of the assets of the company with his or her property; and failure to separate once owned legal personality from that of the company.

The owner of such a company is also not allowed to establish another one-person company. If the member violates this, any interested party may apply to the court with jurisdiction at the place of incorporation for its dissolution. In such a case, the single shareholder and the company shall be jointly and severely liable for any damage incurred by creditors or any other person owing to this provision’s infringement.

The draft, however, has its flaws. It for one does not recognise the transmission of shares. The lawmaker wants business organisations to be successful and the transactions to be secured and predictable. That is the main purpose of a business organisation to have a separate and distinct legal personality from the shareholders. However, the greatest threat in the case of one-person companies is that it may be dissolved if the shareholder becomes incapable or dies. Thus, to avert the risk of dissolution, the law should insert an obligatory provision to insert a successor if the shareholder dies or is incapable.

On top of this, the draft is silent on the critical issue of de facto conversion of private limited companies (PLC) into the one-person company.

What if a member of a PLC or share company or other forms of partnership is reduced to one?

As it stands now, only the company or the partnership will be dissolved. However, in other jurisdictions, if the number of members of a limited company falls to one, or if an unlimited company with only one member becomes a limited company, on re-registration, the company becomes a company having only one member.

This flexibility will add all the more to the ease of doing business.

COVID-19 Makes the Case for Private Sector Reform

Posted on by Web Master

The World Bank Group (WBG) has released its ritualistic report on global economic prospects recently. Broadly, it talks about the continued effect of COVID-19 and the resulting growth prospects that are projected to be less than encouraging. A number of economists had predicted a “V” shaped recovery in the immediate future; the Group’s report does not indicate this.

Global output is expected to expand by four percent in 2021. These projections are below the pre-pandemic growth figures. Developing economies (EMDEs) are expected to perform below their historical growth figures. A frightening analysis is a 90pc fall in the growth rate of per capita income in their economies, resulting in mass poverty.

There is no doubt that the pandemic has re-drawn the economic exigencies. Policymakers the world over are grappling with resource shortages. The WBG insists on investment in human capital as the key to the revival of developing economies. However, the statistical data reported shows that fiscal expansion through structural reforms is a better option that will indirectly expand human capital investment.

Let us accept that the pandemic is here to stay for at least a year. Rich countries are easily winning the vaccine race in their attempt to arrest the spread of the virus. Developing countries like China and India, on the other hand, have embarked upon the development of low-cost vaccines and other conventional methods. Both strategies have their virtues. Still, the whole exercise puts pressure on resource mobilisation and public spending.

What is the prescription for sustainable growth?

Several African countries have moved from least developed country rankings to emerging and developing economies classification. This very change is putting huge pressure on public spending, resource mobilisation and private investment.

This is in contrast to the economies of the likes of India, Singapore and South Korea that need little or no support from the public sector except sound fiscal policies, because a large part of growth and investment activities are spearheaded by the private sector. The formal services sector in these countries contributes above 50pc to their economies. Informal labour is also well directed and productive to contribute as micro, small and medium enterprises.

These fundamental issues are missing in Africa’s emerging economies. The early 2010s saw a massive increase in public debt and the creation of unproductive assets. It meant lower credit ratings that led the IMF and other multilateral institutions to tighten debt screws. These governments were grudgingly forced to explore hybrid pathways like public-private partnerships (PPP), which do not have a proven record on the continent. Neither were reforms in the service sectors very much on the agenda.

The African emerging economies would have been better today if they had created productive infrastructure to let the private sector grow. Hong Kong, Singapore and India have created vibrant insurance, financial services and technology sector through laws, rules, and regulations driving both manufacturing and the agriculture sector.

Critically, during the pandemic, amid the strictest lockdowns, financial services and technology sectors contributed handsomely to economies and attracted big valuations. Investments in stock exchanges in India supported the lives of the average middle-class during the lockdowns.

African nations, therefore, have to build an economy that enables the creation of multiple sources of income, and this can best be done by having a less interventionist government and a vibrant private sector. The applicable economic term can be summed up in just one word, “reforms.”

In several countries, despite governments ramping up financial support to households to improve aggregate demand, the private sector has a significant part to play.

This is true of India. The country has embarked upon a campaign, “Atmanirbhar Bharat,” which aims to make India self-reliant in several manufacturing sub-sectors. India believes it can do this because of the domestic business structure, which is continuously evolving.

No doubt, there are flashpoints like farmers’ agitation against the latest farm reforms, which could have been handled more delicately. However, India’s democracy is vibrant enough to get past this point and reach a compromise that does not leave anyone behind.

It is easy for the Group to issue advisories to emerging markets to improve domestic revenue mobilisation and prioritise expenditures. Domestic revenue mobilisation purely depends on the income levels of the masses. Countries like Ethiopia have a large informal market where large amounts of cash cannot be used to increase demand, savings, productivity or supply. It is indeed one of the problems it attempted to address when Ethiopia demonetised its Birr last September.

Governments in Africa have to seize opportunities created by the pandemic and unleash service sector reforms that will empower the masses to step into new avenues of income and growth. The public sector balance sheet is a cause of concern from Angola to Ethiopia. It will not endure. Thus, the responsibility for sustainable development must be transferred from the public to the private sector. This will happen only through economic reforms.

In the Digital Age, Parenting Ought to Take New Turn

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Over the weekend, I took part in a forum and met brave parents who faced the absolute nightmare on the exposure their children, under the age of 16, could have. Although they have always been very much involved in their children’s academic activities, as parents, it never occurred to them that their children need shaping and direction in other areas of life.

Induced by their peers at school, it was revealed to the parents that their children have been sexually active. The children stated that they were confused and suicidal, without anyone knowing about their struggle. They had been viewing inappropriate content distributed by their friends on their smart devices.

The issue has been exasperated by the closure of schools following lockdowns in response to the Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. Barely supervised use of the internet exposed them to inappropriate content that aggravated the problem. This was in contrast to the parent’s view that their children were not as affected by the isolation due to not being able to meet their friends.

There was a positive outcome to all of this. The parents did not go about condemning their children. They instead offered emotional help and an acknowledgement of the struggle of their children.

These parents are not alone. There are many parents – one would say that there are always children – that discover that their children lead secret lives, but only after the damage has been done. Sometimes, this damage can be irreversible. It could be child pregnancy, or worse, HIV or AIDS.

Addressing this issue would require a concerted effort by parents, schools and civil society organisations.

Many parents allow their children to join social media and surf the internet unsupervised without realising the great danger. This problem is more severe for parents who did not get proper schooling themselves, and are clueless about how to monitor their children’s online activities. As a result, children are exposed to content that may be inappropriate to their age.

There are several tools parents can use to closely monitor what their children are doing on their device and block access to certain content through filters. But the best thing to do is educate them early on about what will benefit and what will harm them. Children may not tell anyone about a bad thing that happened to them. Building confidence in them, and making it clear that it is acceptable to seek support, is critical. Parents should make it clear that there is nothing that they cannot open to them about.

Generation Z, the demographic group between the age of six and 24 succeeding the Millennials, has access to many things without being aware of the enormous risks. Without supervision and guidance, a child can either unintentionally or purposely find explicit and extremely violent content, damaging their emotional, physical and academic development.

Just as parents are concerned about ensuring their child eats healthy, excels academically or make ‘well-behaved’ friends, they should also pay attention to their actions on the digital space. In the absence of parental support, schools and civic organisations should step in to fill the gap to create a healthy and productive society.

Though the internet was not as prevalent while I was growing up, my family had fallen for this error of judgment as well, concentrating much of their attention on my physical wellbeing and academic success. But I went to a good school, Lideta Catholic Cathedral School, with a very well-oriented ethics class. We started taking it when I was just 13 years old. My family sat me down to discuss the things I should stay away from when I was 18. They were surprised to find that our teachers over the years have broached some of the subjects already.

My school used to make us watch documentaries about substance abuse and awareness creation of sexual intercourse. This was one of the most important lessons from my schools that I am highly grateful for. They had open and honest communication with us, the students, something none of us were getting either from parents or civic organisations.

Unlike what many parents believe, children are savvy. The sooner we start being honest with children, the better they will protect themselves and save ourselves the heartache and regret.

FOUL STREAM

Posted on by Web Master

Under a bridge near German Square in the Nefas Silk Laphto area is a small stream, which comes in handy for irrigating the seedlings grown at the banks and eventually sold by a shop. Unfortunately, the stream is not looked after properly and serves as a garbage disposal. In fact, part of the stream has turned into such a foul cesspit for waste disposal that it has gained a black colour.

UNSAFE DECONSTRUCTION

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Construction, despite the challenges of foreign currency, continues to be an evolving industry. This means that some structures have to be brought down to make way for new ones. In this case, it means more space for this street in Qera. But the means with which this building is being bulldozed poses safety concerns, especially with the protruding contraption in the middle that is being used to transfer debris from the higher stories.