THE core responsibility here falls on parents who are negligent and who fail to see how their behaviour can harm or result in the death of their offspring.

Many feel that parents should be blamed and punished as a deterrent, while others hold the view that losing a child is punishment enough.

Newspapers have been publishing reports, features and letters on the need for parents to be extra vigilant and responsible with their young ones. But somehow, all this must have fallen on deaf ears because we still read of tragic events where toddlers died because of their parents’ carelessness.

THE Zainab murder case is about to reach its final stage. The murderer, Imran, will executed tomorrow. While this decision brought a sense of relief to the masses about how the law trumps all, it does not mean that it will rid our society of evil.

There have been reports of toddlers drowning in rivers, lakes, swimming pools and even in their homes. Some parents even let their pre-teen children ride motorcycles without a licence. Why would you let a nine-year-old on a motorcycle? His feet can barely touch the ground!

Then there are children who go missing in playgrounds or during errands at the grocery store. Young children without adult supervision are easy targets for abductors.

Back in March, a six-year-old boy went missing outside his house in Kasur. There has been no clue to the child disappearance since. The incident was reported on the media but nothing came of it.

Prevention is better than the cure and parents should exercise greater caution over the welfare and safety of their children. Tragedies can happen in a split second.

Ignorance and negligence are no excuse in the court of law. We cannot have parents blaming fate for the death and disappearance of their children. Far too many children have been lost through the negligence of parents and caregivers.

Sheikh Muhammad Sabih
Karachi

Published in Dawn, October 16th, 2018