Harare, 24 May, 2021 / 7:13 pm (ACI Africa).
The Diocesan Coordinator of the Catholic Commission for Justice and Peace (CCJP) in Zimbabwe’s Masvingo Diocese has denounced the killing of children in the country and called on the people of God in the Southern African nation to condemn the criminal acts “in the strongest terms possible.”
“The killing of children must be condemned in the strongest terms possible. I think the government must enact a law or amend existing ones so that offenders are punished heavily and potential offenders are deterred by the stiff punishment attached to such murders,” Simon Parwaringira has been quoted as saying.
In the Monday, May 24 report published by Catholic Church News Zimbabwe, Mr. Parwaringira urges Church leaders in the country to “enact child safeguarding measures that protect the interests of children from such kind of abuse and to raise awareness on the importance of protecting children.”
Cases of murder have long term effects on children including fear, he says, and adds, “Being socialized in an environment of fear does not only affect them psychologically but can affect even their conduct and behavior in the community thereby leading to a culture of perpetual violence.”
“The immediate effect however is that some children might feel unsafe and drop out of school,” says Mr. Parwaringira in the report published under the title, “Who shall save the children from ritual sacrifices?”
