Parents in Kiambu County have been urged to educate children, especially girls about the importance of abstaining from sex as a way of reducing the risks of early pregnancies.
Speaking in her office on Tuesday, the Kiambu Sub-County Educational Officer, Ms Victoria Mbuika, said teenagers who were at home because of the strike, could be tempted to engage in sexual relations that may lead to unexpected pregnancies that result to early marriages.
She urged parents to take steps of educating not only girls, but also boys on the dangers of engaging in sexual intercourse while still in school.
She urged parents not to favour only girls as even boys needed advise in order to save them from engaging in drug abuse.
The officer said it was the responsibility of parents to show the children that engaging in sex may result to diseases like HIV/Aids which might cost them their lives.
The officer noted that children could live a decent life as teenagers and maintain their dignity if well advised. She said that children living in urban centres were at a higher risk because of the exposure to indecent television programmes that were misleading.
Mbuika urged children to stop copying what they see in those programmes as it could be dangerous.
“Parents should know that not all people around them are good, as some of them are on a mission to entice their children into drugs and illicit sex,” she said. ‘
She added, “There are men out there taking advantage of the strike to lure school girls into sex.”
She explained that giving guidance to children could help them make wise decisions regardless of the situation they find themselves in.
The officer further noted that the future of many children was at risk due to lack of direction from parents who are busy chasing after their careers.
The officer advised parents to spend more time teaching children on how to responsible people in the family and in the society at this time when they are at home.
Addressing the same issue, Ms Joyce Njuguna, a parent in Kiambu Town, said that educating children on the importance of abstaining from sex was crucial.
She noted that the early pregnancies and marriages among youths were as a result of lack of advice and direction from parents and even teachers.
“Our children make mistakes that could have been avoided if we had advised them earlier. As parents, we need to spend time with children especially the girl child who is usually targeted by self seeking and irrational men,” she said.