- Carlington WilmotMany Moms are in need of a welfare safety net.
A CHILD IN trouble is a nation in trouble, it is said. Ours are. And, they have become this way, because their moms are in trouble. To see how deep into this pit the country's children have fallen, one only has to observe the increasing number of children on the streets, and take a look at the figures on teen crime plus those of child poverty.
The recently released PIOJ report stated: "Children aged 0-18 years are over-represented among the poor (in Jamaica).
"Accounting for (only ) 39.2 per cent of the overall population, they nevertheless make up nearly 50 per cent (49.0 per cent) of all persons in poverty."
The economic depression of single moms is responsible.
The report of the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) published in 1998 notes, "While unemployment has been reduced (to 16 per cent in 1998), it remains heavily biased against women and, against the background of increasing female headship of households, this is worrying."
"Employment guarantees no release from poverty. Data... show that in 1997, 54.3 per cent of the poor were employed. It was estimated that the minimum wage could only cover 31.9 per cent of the cost of feeding a family of five. Even with three members working, a household could remain in poverty. The poorest households (compared to 2.5 for wealthier ones) have an average size of 5.7 individuals."
This week, Outlook highlights individuals who, knowing all of this, in the time-honoured tradition of the village that feeds the child, have gone beyond the arms-length posture of impersonal charity, or mere sympathy, to take children into their homes and give them a better life.
In the words of Shirley Vernon, head of projects at the Bureau of Women's Affairs, "The persistence of poverty, negative cultural attitudes and practice against girls, as well as negative stereotypes; the heavy burden of domestic responsibilities on girls, lack of finance which often prevents them from pursuing and completing their education and training, have contributed to a great lack of opportunities and possibilities for girls to become confident, self-reliant and independent adults. It is indeed refreshing when individuals offer themselves to give parental support and guidance."
Story by Avia Ustanny
