Parents or guardians should ensure safety of their children by constant monitoring of their movements as rapes are on the increase.

Parts of the attractions of this mischievous behaviour or social vice by lawless men are hawking or movements on errands by young girls during odd hours.

How can parents or guardians assign their under-aged female children or housemaids to hawk articles like oranges or groundnuts which its commercial values may not be up to two thousand naira?

Some irresponsible men lure such unfortunate hawkers with money above the commensurate costs of their item(s) that make them prone to rape them in lonely or isolated areas, even in their cars.

Also another issue is women beating and sending out housemaids compelling them to sleep outside under cold at night even as in most cases such children are starved.

Any parent or guardian who does that is not achieving anything. It is not truly part of moral education or family upbringing/training.

For example, some time ago, I saw a young girl of about 14 to 16 years crying very profusely while she leaned on the wall.As a result, I asked her what was her problem, and she revealed to me the cause of her shading tears.

She told me in confidence, as a father, that her stepmother refuses to give her money to buy some toiletries anytime she was under her menstruation period. This objection to provide her with her such periodic needs could encourage her to fell into the hand of men with lustful attitude.

Every Christian should bear in mind that there is a day of judgment. If you are privileged to head a family on earth, you should not abuse the opportunity because everybody is under God who is the Supreme Master and has the final say. One should note that every creature is on sojourn on earth.

Recently, there was the case of a-16-year old girl who gave birth through caesarean operation at Gbaja, Hospital in Lagos. Now, she is a mother by accident, as a result of destitution, which exposed her to some ruffians in a motor garage that raped her.

Everybody on earth has one relative or the other. Orphans or less-privileged children should not be overlooked by their siblings or others who are in position to help.

Some Nigerians who claim to be called by God are strenuously busy founding churches and members. Rather than render help or assistance to such people in need, some pastors are taking advantage of those vulnerable members.

Despite that the governments are expected to provide orphanages or charity homes for under-aged children, how many Christian churches have built and equipped homes to help these children of circumstances, as government at all levels have failed to create or build and maintain such essential facilities

Rather, I have seen schools and hospitals built by some churches which are not affordable by the poor and the now wiped out middle-class due to their high costs, which eventually lowers their patronage.

In any case, it is no hidden fact that Holy Catholic & Apostolic Church has homes for the elderly, either picked from the streets or seconded to them by their wayward or dissident children. Cost of services at their hospitals is within reach; so also are their schools which are very much affordable by all and sundry in society without any form of discrimination.

The church also has a department called St Vincent De Paul that cares for the elderly and the needy, both Catholics and non-Catholics are beneficiaries through funds being generated from some benefactors. Such benevolent nature of the church has continued unabated even in this era of COVID-19 pandemic.

Let me make abundantly clear here that this write-up was not to discuss church, but it will be absolutely necessary to point out that other parts of the body of Christ should borrow emulate the example of the Universal Church and establish affordable and discrimination-free care centres, because God loves a cheerful giver.

Above all, some time ago a housewife invited a company’s staff to look into her gas cooker that was faulty. At the end, the industrial technician from a reputable company raped the woman’s housemaid as she was alone at home. Against this background, something drastic should be done about the upsurge of this nasty crime. And no punishment should be considered too grievous to be imposed on offenders.

Truth, however, is that our big men in the society are neck-deep into this inhuman act hence there has been stiff opposition for heavy penalty on this nonsense and senseless act of cowardice.

One stands firmly with women advocates and other crusaders that are carrying out enlightenment campaigns and calling for stiffer penalties on the offenders. It is a crime against God and humanity; therefore, no punishment would be too much to be meted out to perpetrators.

Given the nature of the crime, proper legislation must come on handy and the implementation strict too. No more, no less!

Parents should equally mind the type of people that they bring into their homes or associate with their children and domestic servants.

It is worth repeating that imposition of severe punitive measures against any offender, and strict implementation of relevant laws to the letter, would go a long way.

• Romanus Egbulefu, a social commentator wrote in from Lagos.