Once again, society has failed to shield another woman and child from a cruel ending. Forget the serial killer-types. What rankles is the indifference in modern society to wife battery, child labour and sexual abuse, female genital mutilation and familial neglect.
A particularly gruesome tale came from Nyahururu two days ago when a teacher, no less, descended upon his immediate family and butchered them, including two toddlers.
The shock is that neighbours were willing to regale to the media a pattern of abuse by the man spanning several years to which they all apparently found befitting to ignore as "domestic issues".
How aloof has African society become that once prided itself of being unitary and tightly knitted find itself reduced to by-stander status even as a man routinely locks in his entire family, frequently leaves them without food and withdraws children from school without anyone raising a finger?
Isn't it time society listened to the inner voice of reason and intervened in cases of assault, battery, neglect and torture by neighbours exhibiting psychopathic tendencies? Is it time Kenya set up a Child Protection Unit much like that offered in Britain and the US to safeguard the very basic freedoms of these most exploited and down-trodden groups?
Last line of defence
All these once-a-week chapel, mosque and temple-going Kenyans have much to answer for as they have failed to be their brother's keeper. Similar fingers should be pointed at an overstretched police force, highly politicised Provincial Administration who have failed to be the last line of defence of the public.
Silence in the face of oppression makes all of us oppressors-in-chief. Break the silence.
Source: The Standard | Online Edition
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