Too many children are suffering because of broken homes, violence, alcoholism and other social ills, Local Government Minister Dr Suruj Rambachan has said. Addressing the Penal/Debe Regional Corporation civic reception and awards ceremony in San Fernando, Rambachan also looked at the deterioration of the institution of marriage and family life.
"There is now a trend in society where people almost take pride in describing themselves as single mothers, single parents and are almost using it as an excuse for many things," he said. Rambachan was speaking to an audience which comprised 87 young scholars who received national scholarships and topped the country in the 2012 Secondary Entrance Assessment (SEA) examination.
"We have to ask ourselves what has happened to the institution of marriage," he added. He also questioned the commitment people made to each other by way of their marital vows, the exercise of patience between partners and the willingness and sacrifice to create an atmosphere of love and respect for their children.
"What has happened with the concept of dialogue between parents to resolve differences in the interest of those children we have brought into the world?" he asked. Rambachan lamented that broken homes and single-parent households affected the psychological health of children.
He reminded the parents in the audience of their responsibility to bring up a child which he described as a gift from God. He said they must be morally and spiritually grounded and a credit to the nation. In spite of the criticisms levelled at parents, Rambachan said not all were bad.
He said: "We must not fall victim to the discussion which suggests that because there are a couple of parents who have been negligent in their duty of parenting that all parents are bad. "There are more good parents than bad parents in this country. Less than one per cent are deemed bad, the other 99 per cent are good and we must celebrate that."
