Beverley Anderson-Manley

A number of issues have taken hold of the Jamaican society that we need to analyse and deal with urgently. Foremost among these is the issue of parenting.

We have to stop being satisfied with a situation where parents abuse or ignore their children. The cost of abuse and neglect is far too high for the Jamaican society to continue paying. The discussions around wayward and irresponsible fathers is alive and well in Jamaican society. What is not so apparent is the role of some mothers who abuse their children in the most awful ways. For example, it is not unusual for these mothers to send their daughters out into the world as prostitutes as long as they bring money home. Yet other mothers "turn a blind eye" to sexual abuse of their daughters by their spouses. Yet others beat their children into submission. Young children are often left at home with candles burning. Fathers are often prevented from visiting their children, if they have no money to bring. Children are abandoned generally or left by mothers in pit latrines.

In addition, in many inner-city neighbourhoods where crime is rampant, it is the girlfriends and the mothers who collude with the young men committing acts of criminal violence and anti-social behaviour. The blood of so many is on the hands not only of the young men, but of girlfriends and mothers who collude with them.

The Status of Women

The results of this type of abuse are devastating. Considering that unemployment among women in the age group 14 to 24 years is twice that of men, and considering also that upwards of 30 per cent of households are headed by women, there is no doubt that many of these women are under severe pressure, economically and psychologically. In spite of this they must stop taking out their pain on the children. In an age where birth control methods are easily available, there is no reason why 75 per cent of children are unplanned. It is women who bear children. Therefore, whether women like it or not, it is in their interest to plan the births of their children - as often, they will have the sole responsibility for these children.

The society must stop protecting mothers who abuse their children on an ongoing basis. The society must stop pretending that this abuse is not taking place. Parents must be made to take responsibility for their children, and within our laws we must ensure that there are sanctions for abuse and parental neglect.

We are Losing our Children

Too many of our children have behavioural problems. No matter how many interventions are created by the state - these cannot substitute for parenting within the basic unit of society, the household. Every Jamaican woman and man must takeon the awesome responsibility of parenting our children. We need to become so obsessed with parenting that we practise wherever we are. We say it often - "it takes a village to raise a child" but how many women and men put this into practice. Children are being abused all around us. They are being killed on our school grounds by other students. Where did our children learn this type of insane and violent behaviour?

We need parenting to be taught in our schools and across communities and organisations throughout Jamaica. We need parenting taught in adult literacy classes and we need our young people to understand the awesome responsibility that is involved in parenting. We need them to understand that this is not a problem for the household (the private sphere) but for the wider society (the public sphere).

The cost of not parenting our children is too high. Let us put in the necessary resources so that the best parenting is available to our children wherever they are. This cost is far less than the cost we are paying now because of our neglect.

Let us together, wake up and step up the pressure to ensure that we have a Jamaica where all our children are loved, valued and cared for.