by Gemma Handy
A lack of parental guidance coupled with a rise in poverty due to the Covid pandemic are said to be driving the current surge in youth violence.
Director of Youth Affairs Dr Jrucilla Samuel told Observer many young people are merely mirroring the bad behaviour of the adults around them.
Increasing incidents of violence among the nation’s teenagers have sparked alarm in recent months, and seen police pledge to step up patrols and ‘stop and search’ exercises in response.
“I believe it’s an absence of values in the home and in the wider society,” Dr Samuel said. “We have to remember that young people emulate the behaviour of adults, whether it be parents or teachers or individuals in the wider community.
“Too often we downplay values – values like respect and accountability. Many parents and guardians recognise there are signs of deviance in the home and they refuse to tackle those issues and of course they develop.
“If you don’t hold children accountable at an early age, what do you think is going to happen?”
Dr Samuel pointed to instances of angry parents confronting teachers on school premises in front of students.
“And even our leaders who say what they want to say and curse; we are already setting the example,” she said.
Analysts worldwide have long pointed to a correlation between poverty and crime, with high unemployment and a lack of opportunity creating a breeding ground for criminal activity.
“We have a lot of young people who are living in absolute poverty and we have to deal with that and give the assistance to vulnerable families and individuals,” Dr Samuel continued.
“During Covid a lot of persons lost their jobs. Many people don’t make EC$2,000 a month, and the rising cost of basic items is going to have a ripple effect.”
The pandemic highlighted socioeconomic disparities in Antigua and Barbuda, she said.
“It magnified the haves and the have-nots – those who had access to internet, those who didn’t have computers. I am told by some teachers that attendance rates – because students didn’t have resources – plunged by as much as 60 percent or more,” she explained.
The Director said it was crucial to identify vulnerable individuals in order to support them.
Indigence can only explain so much, of course.
Dr Samuel conceded that teaching youngsters conflict resolution skills is also key.
“If they don’t see positive examples of conflict resolution in the home and are surrounding themselves with people who don’t practice conflict resolution, they will imitate the behaviour of those around them,” she said.
Many of the incidents that have caused consternation among the public involve violent attacks by schoolchildren on their peers.
“Often they are trying to hold onto their image – if you attack me I will react accordingly because I don’t want my image to look bad,” Dr Samuel said.
“It might sound trivial to adults but this is why we have to develop psycho-social resources like self-esteem and self-confidence.”
Last Saturday, young Anglicans joined forces with the National Youth Parliament to stage a rally against violence in the country’s schools and communities. Many participants carried placards to convey messages of peace, brotherly love and unity.
“We also have to magnify those young people who are doing the right thing and are on the right track; we have to give them the spotlight as well,” Dr Samuel added.
“Everybody wants to talk about youth violence but there are alternatives out there of young people who are poor and still making a meaningful contribution.”
The Department of Youth Affairs plays a pivotal role in establishing initiatives to keep youngsters on the straight and narrow. Some of those currently in place include youth leadership training, literacy programmes and career shadowing internships.
