WITHOUT RESERVATION, we salute the courage of the women who have come together to form a group called Mother In Crisis, headed by Doreen Billings. It is the latest and most poignant of the attempts to stem the tide of criminality which has seen more than 450 persons murdered since the start of the year.
In essence, the group is aiming to exert their influence as mothers with first-hand experience of the environment which has spawned the mayhem and bloodshed.
They are the previously silent ones who have given comfort to sons and spouses dealing with guns and drugs. Some have washed the blood-stained clothes and benefited from the spoils. In recent times we have published a letter from one who has seen it all, and like this new group had reached a breaking point.
The group is inviting communication from women across the country to write or call to share their difficulties. They will then seek to dispense advice from experts in various fields on how to cope with the problems.
The initiative is obviously fraught with danger. Mrs. Billings herself has had the guts to rescue her own son from being involved with crime, literally forcing him to smell death in a funeral home to cure his drug habit. The danger, henceforth, is that the group she leads must operate in a context where the 'informer' is a target and the rule of law is not the norm. Notwithstanding, this is an initiative that must be supported.
Elsewhere in the society it has long been accepted that the contribution of women in every field has been the bulwark of much that the nation has achieved. If the Mother In Crisis initiative works, it may help erode one of the hidden foundations of criminal enterprise. For the women behind the guns can lend stability as they do elsewhere in the society.
The group has to get expertise from the agencies, public and private, which operate in more benign settings. We urge those who are the orthodox do-gooders to get on board, exercising the discretion that the potential dangers make necessary.
The society must be keenly aware that despite the recent inputs of international support, the spiralling murder rate is still climbing. It is still true that public support of the police effort depends on the information that feeds intelligence.
If the mothers most affected do respond to this latest initiative, there may yet be a breakthrough that makes a real difference. Let's get on board and help to make a difference in the fight against criminality in the society.
THE OPINIONS ON THIS PAGE, EXCEPT FOR THE ABOVE, DO NOT NECESSARILY REFLECT THE VIEWS OF THE GLEANER.
