MUST Read:Society MUST Look On Bad Behavior Of Youths’

The news that hit the Zambian community about the students from a named school having a sex party was very alarming and left many Zambians in shock and disbelief.
According to police, 42 pupils were arrested after being found at a sex party. Copperbelt commissioner of police Joyce Kasosa said that the alleged sex party took place in Chingola’s Riverside area and it involved 26 boys and 16 girls. Ms Kasosa described the incident as sad and urged parents to take more responsibility over their children’s lives.
Borrowing the words of the police, it is very sad to see future presidents, leaders and parents get involved in such disturbing activities. We believe the entire community in Chingola was saddened and disturbed with this situation.
After analysing the event, it was a clear indication that young people need help. The deterioration of morals among youths has demonstrated that there is need to reflect on morals in society. It is very important that society does reflect on the morals that are being taught among the youths. This would include the need to evaluate the morals that are influencing youth behaviour and their conformity to national moral frameworks. It is also important that society looks at what streams are used to wade youths’ behaviour.
Are there teachings that have not been taught in society that are crucial to youth development? Or did society pay particular attention to what children were being taught? Or who is responsible for the social development of the youths? These questions need answers.
The effect of the internet and social media need to be evaluated such that countries could begin to put up measures that would mitigate the effects of social media. For example, illicit websites need to be blocked from the territorial boundaries of the country if they are deemed to be an obstacle to social development of youths.
What we teach in class or in any organised learning environment should be evaluated as well. For instance, are we doing enough to teach young people on social issues such as sex education or how to behave in society?
Of course, youths’ mischief has not started today. David Matthews (Historyextra.com) explains that in the 1950s, increasing youth crime was largely attributed to a decline in family cohesion following the war, and to increasing consumer affluence. He added that later decades had similar beliefs about the causes of rising youth crime, leading to successive panics about mods, rockers and hippies in the 1960s, skinheads and punks in the 1970s and 1980s, and ravers and “hoodies”.
While Nathan Fisher (everydaylife.globalpost.com) says nothing happens in a vacuum, and children often assimilate the behaviour of those around them. He also states that poor role modelling or mistreatment by parents, such as abusive behaviour or neglect, can lead a child down the wrong path.
We will end by emphasising that society needs to review the morals that surround our communities. The bad behaviour exhibited by youths is a serious wake-up call for society and governments to reflect on the moral fibre of society.
By Kelvin Esiasa