Irene Opare raises alarm over children walking home without adult supervision

Veteran Ghanaian actress Irene Opare has appealed to parents to pay greater attention to their children’s safety, especially when work and other daily responsibilities keep them away from home.

The actress appealed in a video shared on her Instagram page after she encountered three children while driving.

According to the actress, she spotted a boy who appeared to be about seven years old walking along a busy road with two younger children, believed to be around two or three years old.

She suspected that the older boy had gone to pick up the younger children from school and was taking them home.

The sight of the children walking along the roadside without an adult reportedly concerned Irene, particularly because of the heavy traffic and the number of vehicles using the road.

She said she stopped her car and approached the children to find out where they were going.

Although she was worried about their safety, Irene explained that she could not simply put them in her vehicle and drive them home because of the risks involved in giving a lift to children whose parents she did not know.

The incident, she said, reminded her of the need for parents to remain actively involved in their children’s lives, even as they work hard to provide for their families.

Irene acknowledged that the current economic situation forces many parents to work and hustle to make ends meet. However, she stressed that parents must also make deliberate arrangements to ensure their children are properly supervised and protected.

She urged parents to check on their children before leaving for work and, where possible, arrange for younger children to be picked up from school by trusted adults.

“Please, let’s keep an eye on our children. Parents, I beg you. If you can’t pick them up, get someone older to do so. Please, let’s do this,” she appealed.