Haki Africa official Salma Hemed during a past media briefing. [Photo/ nation.co.ke]
A Gender and Human Rights activist in Mombasa has attributed the emergence of juvenile gangs in the county to poor parenting.
Speaking during a security forum in Old Town on Wednesday, Haki Africa official Salma Hemed said youth are engaging in crime because parents do not take their parenting roles seriously.She said the issue of insecurity in the county can be solved if parents monitor their kids’ behaviour and openly discuss with them the negative effects of engaging in criminal activities and drug abuse.“If children as young as 14 years are engaging in criminal activities, there is no doubt that it is us parents who have failed in guiding them,” she said.She urged parents to take their responsibilities seriously in a bid to tame the increasing juvenile gangs in the county.“I am disappointed by the whole situation at Old Town where youth armed with machetes are terrorizing residents, stealing and even killing them. Who is to blame, the parents?” she asked.She said the recent amnesty that was granted by police in Mombasa did not yield fruits since only eight suspects surrendered to police, yet many youth in the county were members of criminal gangs.“We have very many youth gangs in Mombasa and if only eight suspects from Old Town surrendered, then we can relate that to a drop in the ocean,” she noted.Hemed, who is spearheading the fight against juvenile criminal gangs in the county, challenged parents to take their parenting roles seriously and join the cause.