Parents need to resort to golden rule of the 4Ws when it comes to responsible child care

Fine Gael Dun Laoghaire Deputy, Mary Mitchell O’Connor, has today (Friday) said that while the fight between two school girls in Cork is to be condemned, the actions of the onlookers who did nothing to intervene and who posted a video of the antics online is extremely worrying.

Deputy Mitchell O’Connor said the traditional values of the 4Ws should be used by parents in attempting to monitor their children’s activities. The 4Ws are;
• Where is your child?
• Who are they with?
• What are they doing?
• And at what time will they be home?

“This fight raises serious questions, not only in terms of the behaviour of the girls at the centre of the row but also where the onlookers are concerned. Schools have a duty of care to their children both in and outside of school hours and while it is difficult to implement anti-bullying policies outside of the school gate, I am heartened that the school in question is examining disciplinary procedures on foot of this incident.

“Of even more concern is the posting of the video to a social media website. This has resulted in the video going viral, with thousands of people having viewed it online. This is completely unacceptable and represents a new low. It is estimated that as many as 50 people watched the brawl as it happened and encouraged the girls as they fought.

“While there is no physical way of knowing your child’s exact whereabouts at all times, in the interest of responsible parenting, mums and dads across the country simply have to revert to the 4Ws in a bid to keep an eye on what their child is doing and with whom they are doing it.

“I hope that the Gardaí will be successful in investigating the video and I would ask anyone with any information to assist the guards in their efforts.”