US-based Ghanaian DJ, DJ Switch, has criticised Ahafo Ano South nt VisitEast MP Yakubu Mohammed over comments he made to a schoolgirl during an educational visit to Parliament.
The comments, captured in a video, have sparked debate on social media.
In the video, the MP is seen interacting with a group of pupils visiting Parliament. He complimented one of the girls before saying, “You are very beautiful; when you grow up, I will marry you, so she is my wife. In the future, she will also be an MP.”
Reacting to the video, DJ Switch said the comment was inappropriate and called on adults, especially public officials, to be careful about how they speak to children.
She said children should not be placed in romantic situations, even as a joke, and rejected claims that the comment was harmless humour.
“That’s not funny. That’s not charming. That is not African humour. That is completely inappropriate,” she said.
According to DJ Switch, society has become too comfortable with adults making comments that blur the boundaries when talking to children.
She questioned why marriage should even be mentioned when speaking to a young girl.
“Why is marriage, even as a joke, the first thing that comes into the mind of an adult when speaking to a little girl?” she asked.
DJ Switch said her concern is about protecting children and respecting their innocence.
She also said inappropriate comments about children are made by both men and women and should not be accepted as normal.
Sharing her own experience, DJ Switch said she had received similar comments from adults while growing up and described such behaviour as disturbing.
“Let’s call a spade a spade. That’s paedophilic. We have to stop excusing this behaviour just because someone smiled while saying it,” she said.
