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{
    "id": 206329,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/206329/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 53,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Mr. Munya",
    "speaker_title": "The Assistant Minister, Office of the President",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 279,
        "legal_name": "Joseph Konzolo Munyao",
        "slug": "joseph-munyao"
    },
    "content": " Thank you, Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir. I would like to take this opportunity to support this very important Motion. Our society has changed after interacting with the West. The support structures in our traditional society that took care of vulnerable children such as orphans are no longer there because of the individualisation and the technification of our society. We have broken down the cultural values and the extended family support that used to take care of these children. This is, therefore, a very opportune time for the Government to intervene and put up infrastructure that can take care of these children so that they can grow up to be responsible citizens who can contribute to the development of our country. Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, most people who are providing support to these children are in Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs). Some of them, probably, who have very good intentions have established homes that take care of these children. Others have interests which are probably not necessarily very noble in taking care of these children. That is why we need, not only money, brought in by the Government to take care of these children, but also a framework within which we can take care of them. We also have the Children's Department that deals with these kind of children. However, the Children's Department is not very adequately funded to intervene in all the aspects. The Children's Department mainly deals with the legal aspects of protecting the children from rape and abuse. The need to provide the social and economic environment that can make these kids grow up properly is not provided for by the Children's Department due to lack of funds and lack of the legal infrastructure to strengthen that department and make it provide all the aspects that are required to support these children. That is why this Motion will be very useful in doing exactly that. Once that is done, it will be of benefit to the entire society. Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, more often than not, the criminals that we deal with are children who have been left to grow in a wild environment with no one to support them. They grow into criminals whom we are forced to use a lot of money later to deal with; trying them in court and putting them in jail. If we had intervened in the earlier stages when they were young children and moulded them into responsible citizens of this country, then the society would not have to pay the prize we pay when they grow up into monsters that we have to deal with. That is why this is a very critical issue that we must deal with. Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, the issue of teenage problems such as child delinquency and child prostitution that we see in our country are real problems which we have to deal with them. Most of the time we have these problems because these children were left with no one to take care of them. They have to fend for themselves. What else can they engage in apart from engaging in prostitution and all sorts of petty crime, including drug pushing to support themselves? Again, it is the larger society that pays for that in terms of trying to control and investigate crime. This is why this August 29, 2007 PARLIAMENTARY DEBATES 3523 Motion is very important for us as a society. We should try and see how we can deal with this big problem that is growing, and yet we have not been able to deal with it. With those few remarks I beg to support."
}