Abagxothwayo Nabashiya Ikhaya

“NDACHEBA iinwele zam, ndanxiba njengendoda, ndafaka amatyathanga namaqhaga entanyeni yam, ndaza ndafaka isipeliti esidleleni sam, ndaza ngale ndlela ndaqalisa ukuphila njengomntu ongakhathaliyo.”—Tamara.

Ukuba wawubone uTamara ezitratweni, ngaba ngewawuqashisele ukuba wayengokwishumi elivisayo owayelilolo, ophethwe kakubi obomi bakhe basekhaya bamshiya engayifumani ingqalelo nothando awayelufuna? Ngaba ngewawucinge ukuba wayenemvukelo esenkathazweni nabezomthetho yaye mhlawumbi ephila ubomi bokuba sisaphuli-mthetho? UTamara uchazela uVukani! iziganeko ezoyikisayo ezakhokelela kuhlobo lobomi awayebuphila ukususela kwiminyaka eli-14 ubudala, indlela yobomi awayengazange ayiphuphe nokuyiphupha.

Abagxothwayo

UTamara ubalisa oku: “Ndakhulela kwidolophu encinane esezintabeni eItali, kwintsapho olwalungaziwa tu kuyo uthando. Okubuhlungu kukuba ndandidla ngokubukela iingxabano ezinkulu ezazidla ngokudlabhuka phakathi kwabazali bam nezithuko endingenakuziphinda ababetyabekana ngazo ngezo zihlandlo. Ndandidla ngokuzibhaqa sele ndingene ndaphelela kuloo ngxabano ndize ndibethwe okwengqongqo ngutata wam okhohlakeleyo. Ndandidla ngokugcuma zezo nduma kangangeeveki.

“Xa ndandineminyaka eli-14 ubudala, utata wandinika imalana encinane netikiti likaloliwe lokuya kwesona sixeko sikufutshane, apho kwakukho iingozi ezininzi. Ndanxulumana nolunye ulutsha olunjengam, olwalungenabantu banomdla kulo. Uninzi lwethu lwaba ngamanxila. Ndaba nekratshi, ndakrwada ndaza ndaneenkani. Amaxesha amaninzi ndandingenakutya. Ngenye ingokuhlwa yasebusika mna nabahlobo bam satshisa ifanitshala ukuze sizigcine sifudumele. Hayi indlela endandikubawela ngayo ukuba nentsapho eyayindikhathalele, enomdla kwiimvakalelo zam, izinto ezazindixhalabisa nezinto ezazindoyikisa. Kodwa ndandindedwa, ndingumpha ochutywe walahlwa.”

Kukho amakhulu amawaka “ooTamara” kwihlabathi lanamhlanje. Kwilizwekazi ngalinye, kukho abantwana abalahlwe ngabazali abazityesheleyo iimbopheleleko zabo.

Abashiya Ikhaya

Olunye ulutsha lugqiba kwelokuba lushiye ikhaya kuba “liyindawo ekunzima gqitha ukuba lungahlala kuyo; kuba buhlungu gqitha, kuyingozi kakhulu yaye lubhacela ezitratweni.”—New York State Journal of Medicine.

Xa wayeneminyaka esithoba ubudala, uDomingos wathunyelwa kwikhaya leenkedama xa unina waphinda watshata. Ngenxa yokuba wayebethwa ngabefundisi, waceba ukuqhwesha. Unina wambuyisela ekhaya, kodwa wayelilifa lokubethwa umhla nezolo nguyise womtshato wesibini. Ukushiya ikhaya kwakukuphela kwendlela awaphumla ngayo kwinkohlakalo yasekhaya.

Okubuhlungu kukuba “izigidi zabantwana azinakubathemba abantu abadala abakumakhaya azo kwanaxa zifuna ukukhuselwa okungephi,” ubhala oko uAnuradha Vittachi kwincwadi yakhe ethi Stolen Childhood—In Search of the Rights of the Child. Kwakhona ubhala enjenje: “Kuqikelelwa ukuba abantwana abathathu ngosuku bayafa ngenxa yokuxhatshazwa ngabazali babo eUnited States.” Kwiimeko ezininzi, umntwana uxhatshazwa ngokwesini lilungu lentsapho kunokuba limkhusele.

Bayaxhatshazwa Baze Benzakaliswe

UDomingos wanyanzeleka ukuba ahlale nabanye abantwana basesitratweni ababebandakanyeke ekuphangeni nasekubeni, ekusebenziseni kakubi nasekuthengiseni iziyobisi. Okulusizi kukuba abaninzi ababaleka iimeko ezimbi ekhaya baba zizisulu zabantu abafumanela amadoda ihenyukazi, abantu abaxhaphaza abantwana ngokwesini nabo babonisa izinto ezingamanyala. Belambile yaye bengamalolo, aba baselula bathenjiswa ngendawo yokuhlala baze bathenjiswe ngokunyanyekelwa ngumntu omdala “onenkathalo,” kuze kufumaniseke ukuba bahlawula ngemizimba yabo kubomi bobuhenyu. Kuba bengenabo ubuchule bokusebenza, abaninzi bafunda ukuziphilisa ezitratweni nangayo nayiphi na indlela, kuquka nokuhendwa okanye ukuhenda. Abanye abakwazi ukuziphilisa. Iziyobisi, utywala, ukubulala nokuzibulala kugqiba amaxhoba amaninzi aselula.

Egqabaza ngobomi babantwana basesitratweni, omnye owayesakuba lihenyukazi elingumntwana wathi: “Kuyoyikeka apha. Yazi, into endikhathazayo kukuba [abantu] abaninzi bacinga ukuba xa bebona umntwana elele kuloliwe, okanye babone umntwana esesitratweni ngalo lonke ixesha, bacinga ukuba uzifunele. Njengokuba ngoku ndimdala, andiboni ngolo hlobo. Ngamnye kwaba bantwana unesakhe isikhalo esikhethekileyo. Abafuni kuba njalo, kodwa abazali babo ababafuni.”

Ukufuna “Inkululeko”

Kukho amanye amakhulu amawaka abaselula ekuthiwa balahlekile emakhayeni abo abaye bahendwa yinkululeko abacinga ukuba ikho esitratweni. Abanye bafuna inkululeko kubuhlwempu. Abanye banqwenela inkululeko kwigunya nemithetho yabazali abavakalelwa kukuba ibacinezele kakhulu.

Omnye oselula owakha wangcamla oko kufane kubizwe ngokuba yinkululeko kulawulo lwabazali nakwimigaqo yekhaya lobuKristu wayenguEmma ngegama. Washiya ikhaya ukuze aphile nabahlobo bakhe, waba likhoboka leziyobisi. Kodwa emva kokuba eve inkohlakalo ezitratweni, uEmma wavakalisa umnqweno wokuguquka aze ayeke umkhwa wakhe weziyobisi. Noko ke, okubuhlungu kukuba akazange awaqhawule amaqhina nabahlobo abangalunganga, yaye ngenye ingokuhlwa yehlobo ekunye nabahlobo bakhe, bamtofela iheroin. Kwathi kanti uEmma wayelijonga eligqibelisa. Wafa isiqaqa kwaza ngosuku olulandelayo itshoba lalal’ umbethe, eyedwa yaye elahliwe “ngabahlobo” bakhe.

Ngaba abantwana abaxhatshazwa ngabazali babo okanye ngabanye banokuba nekamva elilunge ngakumbi? Ngaba liya kuze libekho ihlabathi elingasayi kuxhaphaza ulutsha? Ngaba likho ithemba lokuba ubomi bentsapho buya kuze buphuculwe buze buxatyiswe ukuze abaselula bangafuni ukushiya ikhaya? Iimpendulo zingafunyanwa kwinqaku elilandelayo.