Garth Rattray
THE REAR-VIEW mirror reflection of someone running in the middle of the road and waving frantically made me pull over. It turned out to be Gary (not his real name).
I had not seen him for sometime, so I gave him a fairly hefty contribution towards his windshield-washing 'business'.
He showed little interest in the cash and instead passionately explained that he wanted to learn how to read and write in order to improve his life.
Gary recently turned 21 years old and found himself trapped within the invisible yet impenetrable walls of illiteracy. His street savvy, wiles and learnt survival techniques took him this far - but no farther.
He was born in 1985 to a coke-addicted mother. His father used to admonish her for this but eventually became hooked on the stuff himself. Gary was 'given' to his (paternal) grandmother (now bedridden) who raised him (along with many other 'throwaways') since he was three months old.
Gary spent a lot of time sleeping out and working the streets. He managed to attend a basic school, Denham Town Primary, Greenwich All-Age, Haile Selassie Comprehensive and, eventually, the Care Centre near Half-Way Tree, but, he never learnt to read or write. Gary is one of about 338,573 Jamaicans over the age of 15 who cannot read this article.
REFUSAL TO CARE
Quoted literacy rates for countries assume that everyone (over 15 years old) who has ever attended school is literate, but this is far from true.
You may, therefore, say that they fell through the cracks in the system but I believe that they fell through the cavernous chasms within a very deficient system. I remain resolute that the answer to why crime has taken our society by the throat lies in our inability, or perhaps refusal to care for our children.
There are several generations of Jamaicans hexed (cursed) by government's failure to properly see to the welfare of our children.
We can no longer afford to leave parenting totally up to people who:
Are themselves children in need of parenting.
Get pregnant in order to secure a dubious financial future.
Use children as proof of their womanhood or manhood.
Produce children in the vain hope of holding a man.
Get women pregnant in order to control them.
See children as little slaves, 'soldiers' and potential income earners.
Are totally clueless about anything to do with parenting.
Children should be registered as soon as they are born. We should assign social workers to children in order to monitor them until they become 18 years old.
Their home environment may be poor but it must not be destitute, violent or abusive. They must have proper amenities and a basic education at the very least. They must be monitored for and protected against sexual abuse.
We must force delinquent fathers to share equally in the upbringing of all their children. This would make them keep their pants on and reduce the birth rate.
Our family courts need to be more aggressive and promise real jail time for men or women who renege on their parental duties. Breaches of responsibility should result in prosecution. They must be made accountable.
Until we do these things, we will suffer over a thousand murders each year, we will live in fear and our society will remain under the oppressive heel of criminals devoid of humanity because they were treated inhumanely as children and now see us merely as sheep for shearing or slaughter.
Dr. Garth A. Rattray is a medical doctor with a family practice.
