Violence Against Children

VIOLENCE: HOW DOES IT AFFECT OUR CHILDREN? Craig Cole st

College English 1 Year Student Writer

“C

hildren are the future” is a phrase that everyone seems to sing; but in fact we should realize that children are the present and indeed presents given to us by the Creator.

Jamaica is a nation plagued with an ever-increasing crime rate, which has been attributed to a number of factors, some of which are: •

Economic Instability (including high unemployment)

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Destabilized family structure (including poor parenting)

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Decline in values and attitudes across society

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High level of illiteracy

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Drug culture

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Ineffectiveness of communication channels between the community and the police/government.

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High availability of firearms and other weapons

Of all these reasons, the youth of the country seem to be the ones who suffer most (Jones, 2003). The three factors usually highlighted are poverty, disruption of the education process and the lack of proper parenting and influence in children’s lives.

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Jamaica places 3 on the international list of murders per capita (United Nations, 2003) behind Columbia and South Africa. More than 76% of these heinous crimes take place within the Kingston Metropolitan Area (KMA): the area comprising the capital city, its suburbs and immediate rural communities; with a vast majority of both victims and offenders being males between 15 and 44 years of age (Lemard & Hemenway, 2006). The concentration of crime in the inner-city “ghetto” areas, which are at the lowest rung of the socioeconomic ladder, suggests that poverty and crime are related and at times directly proportional. In addition, the young age of the victims shows that children are directly affected by the high crime rate both physically as murder victims, and also through the psychological and material influences of crime. Poverty is an important factor contributing to crime in the KMA which acts also as a propellant to other issues, such as poor education facilities, high levels of illiteracy and unemployment, low selfesteem and weakened family capacities to socialize its young. Poverty marginalizes children and increases their susceptibility to being victimized by social ills. According to Schorr (1988)"Virtually all other risk factors that make rotten outcomes more likely are also found disproportionately among poor children". In light of those arguments the pervasive and frightening youth violence and criminality among Jamaican youth might

indeed result from the social disadvantage the poorest of society are forced to endure; more affluent children have better all-around developmental outcomes and are rarely perpetrators of violent crimes. According to Williams (2001, p. 16, citing Headley): "Many crimes committed in Jamaica are responses to the material conditions inherent to economic dispossession, severe inequality, and general hopelessness. Disconnected youth who are powerless to change their bleak condition take advantage of the 'opportunities' afforded by street crimes. It is not ghetto or a violent subculture--or any other internal 'pathology' that impels them. Rather, it is the need to survive to 'exist in a society where survival is not assured by other, collective means.” (Smith & Ashiabi, 2007)

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It can be argued that violence has been prevalent since the very inception of this country as most of our conflict resolution has, and is still, been done via this means. Nearly all of Jamaica’s national heroes are associated with the use of violence in liberation struggles. This is where the psychological nature of violence sets in. As a people we have been taught, directly and indirectly, that the most effective way to get results is through violent means. Also, more emphasis is placed on instilling in children a fear of consequence rather than simple adherence to “that which is right”; a lifestyle guided by principles and morals. A spinoff to this history of violence in conflict resolution is that crime has evidently become glorified. It is evinced by many who disregard the rights of others to achieve their own personal endeavors. To children looking on it is seen as a better alternative to the hardships of life. In music even, the statuses of “galist” and “gangster” are given to offenders of the country’s morals and to those who choose a lifestyle of crime. Hence, the examples or characters that children are more inclined to embrace as role models actually act adversely on them. In the poem, “Children Live What They Learn” (1972); written by Dorothy Law Nolte PhD, the

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Violence disrupts education when the environment becomes tumultuous in a community as it directly affects students’ attendance: schools are either closed or children become so traumatized that they are too frightened to leave home. This has greatly diminished the educational potential of these children as they are unable to receive the prescribed amount of instruction for the school year. Regrettably, this can also result in disruption of important examinations such as the Grade Six Achievement Test (GSAT) and Caribbean Examination Council (CXC) exams. In 2005, students from the Elletson Primary School had to be escorted by police to the Jessie Rippol Primary school to sit the GSAT exams because of the upsurge of violence in their community (Francis, 2005). Students have also been displaced when families flee the community and so may not sit the important exam because of registration irregularities (Jamaica Gleaner, 2005). The quality of teaching also suffers as fearful teachers become jittery and are unable to instruct students well. These numerous factors which limit the education of these children can affect them throughout life as it results in a vicious cycle where the lack of education, making them unable to qualify for jobs, hinders their chance of social mobility. Subsequently, the typical recourse is to resort to violence and crime to eke out a living and earn respect, and the disruption they cause continue to negatively affect students, completing the unforgiving cycle.

message is resounded that the attitudes children portray are a result of how they are impacted by the environment created by their guardians. “If children live with criticism, they learn to condemn. If children live with hostility, they learn to fight… If children live with friendliness, they learn the world is a nice place to live.” Therefore, parents and prospective role models should make it imperative that they set proper examples for children; otherwise they will be much more likely to choose unbecoming lifestyles.

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The anthropological imperative of humans is to care for their young regardless of circumstance, yet much of the violence in our country is perpetuated by adults, the very adults who should be taking care of our youth. This violence not only affects children through gruesome murders and abuse, but inherently, its effects harm them and the prospects of their future. It is crucial, therefore, that the issue of violence be discussed and solutions formed, as our children need safety and assurance to continue to pursue their dreams and become good leaders in the next era of our nation.

B IBLIOGRAPHY Francis, P. (2005, March 29). Students can now rest easy - GSAT is over. The Jamaica Gleaner . Jones, P. (2003). A Global Approach To Crime & Violence In Jamaica. Economic Development Institute. Lemard, G., & Hemenway, D. (2006). Violence in Jamaica: an analysis of homicides 19982002. Injury Prevention (12), pp. 15-18. Nolte, D. L. (1972). Children Live What they Learn. Schorr, L. B. (1988). Within our reach: Breaking the cycle of disadvantage. New York: Anchor. Smith, D. E., & Ashiabi, G. S. (2007, December 22). Poverty and child outcomes: a focus on Jamaican youth. Adolescence . United Nations. (2003). United Nations Survey of Crime Trends and Operations of Criminal Justice Systems, covering the period 1998 – 2000. Office on Drugs and Crime Centre for International Crime Prevention.

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Williams, L. (2001, September). "Anywhere yu be, yu not safe: Adolescence and Violence in Jamaica." Final draft for UNICEF and UNFPA. Retrieved October 27, 2008, from http://www.unicef.org/evaldatabase/files/JAM_2001_803.pdf