THE EDITOR, Sir:A CHRISTIAN friend of mine who is now a Counselling Psychologist did her practicum at one of these children's homes. Her first visit was a shocker. On her many returns from this institution she would share her heart-rending encounters with squalor, abuse and just neglect of the children whose ages ranged from as low as three years old.
Her disposition was one of helplessness, I guess because she could only concentrate at the time on making up her hours so she could graduate. I accommodated her because I knew it was therapy and she often said it was too much for her to deal with. I was too busy and perhaps preoccupied with my world to even consider possible solutions. We did NOTHING!
There is a saying, which goes like this: "The upholder is just as bad as the thief." We know of the abject conditions under which these children exist. We know that the powers that be are robbing these children of their childhood. The children are oh so willing to confide in those of us who visit the homes for one reason or the other, about the abuse: physical, verbal and sexual. We did NOTHING!
We perceive our responsibility to be the creation of temporary illusions by the provision of clothing (sometimes "job lot" or 'old bruk'), food items, and any other tokens which symbolise what really should have been their right to decent living. Mind you, the poor children were always grateful, always wanting more. The more we mistook to mean more clothes, more food so we doubled our efforts to amass these. Could we have been so myopic that we could not see what they really wanted? We did NOTHING!
I have no doubt that organisation such as the Kiwanis, Rotary and others have real and sincere intentions where these children are concern. That they have provided and continue to provide altruistic services to make these homes better places for our children. And we must applaud them. But, and this is a big but, are they deserving of the applause? Could they have done anything to prevent the situations which exist to worsen to such low levels? I believe yes. In addition, I believe that the various church groups visiting these organisations regularly could have been truer to their calling. The Master must be displeased. How can we see injustice and sin and not cry out. To borrow an expression from Tony Laing, popular talk show host on Power 106, we could have "Bawl[ed] Out". But we did not. If we did 'bawl out' it was not long enough or loud enough. We should have agitated for change or created the change ourselves. But like true Jamaicans each encounter became "nine-day talk". We were all comfortable in maintaining the status quo. I also believe that the report of the Sadie Keating Committee will also be nine-day-talk. We are comfortable in the two Jamaicas. Our children are well taken care of. Shame! These children are human too, they have rights too.
I am responsible, you are responsible, we all are responsible. Let us promise ourselves, let us promise each other, let us promise God that we will transform the lives and living conditions of these our children. Let us not engage in the "blame game"; it makes no sense at this time.
I am etc.,
MARGARET BARNETT
info@cwjamaica.com
