Should it be mandatory for kids to visit Genocide sites?

Editor, children are human beings, and history is as old as humankind. Let the children go visit and see for themselves what happened during he 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi to avoid and develop firmly a “Never Again” slogan of the same in Rwanda.

Wednesday, April 17, 2013

Editor,

Children are human beings, and history is as old as humankind. Let the children go visit and see for themselves what happened during he 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi to avoid and develop firmly a "Never Again” slogan of the same in Rwanda.

Learning is not only done in class, the outside environment helps children to see and touch history. Let the children live to tell the story and this is possible if they are involved. This will make them stronger.

David Nkusi, NyanzaRwanda

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I strongly disagree with Mr. Nkusi. Yes, as he said, children are human beings but they do not possess the cognitive capacity to handle trauma the same way as adults. 

Has the thought of why children are not allowed to watch pornographic material ever crossed his mind? Children minds are fragile and still in formative stage of development, therefore we need their innocence protected against the violence and traumatic experience nature of these images.

Ngoga, KigaliRwanda

Reaction to the letter, "Don’t make it mandatory for kids to visit the memorials”, (The New Times, April 16)