The Plight of Our Young Men

The incursion in Tivoli Gardens has opened wide for the whole world to see the putrid social cancer that we all face in Jamaica at this time of our history.

Social prejudices, class stratification, endemic political corruption,corruption in all areas of bussiness,an educational system that needs restructuring in order to suit the needs of our children,a revolting  lack of adequate and suitable social programs for children and young people “at risk ”are all part of the fabric of Tivoli and all the other garrisons that now play havoc with Jamaica’s stability.

Some of the victims of this destabilising force are our young men.During the incursion they came from all corners of the island to participate in” the war”.Attracted by the prospects of making a “quick money” they were all prepared to risk their lives. One wonders if the total lack of hope in their empty lives prompted them to accept such an offer or if the wish to vent their own anger and frustration drove them to Tivoli and the other troubled areas.One thing that is absolutely certain is that had these young men been prepared to face the work force and  had they acquired an education and skills that could sustain them they would not have ventured into  the war zones and would not be ,today, begging at street corners displaying their dysfunctional aggressive behaviour, hustling to make a penny. During the incursion,truck loads of young men were taken to the National Arena and other detention centers. Once released, they again faced a life of hopelessness,a life of drug abuse, crime and self destruction.

The government’s failure to prepare these young men enabled the dons to prey on their vulnerability and use them to do the criminal acts that we are fighting against today.Some of these young men ,victims of  our own social crimes and political neglect started as street boys.To date ,there has been very little done to stem the flow of neglected and abused street boys at our street corners in Kingston as well as other large cities.

The endemic neglect of children “at risk” constitutes the seeds of delinquency and criminality bearing fruit today.

In the case of the windshield cleaners the police had no choice but to protect the public and remove them from the street corners.Their behaviour was totally unacceptable and quite dangerous at times.

Looking into the background of these young men one would realise that they have never been nurtured and cared for in a stable environment;they have never been loved; they have never been respected and have never been taught to respect others; their rights have been trampled upon so they now trample on the rights of others. Deprived of an education and of any sustainable skills they are left to survive by any means they can possibly reach.

What has the Ministry of Youth done for our young men at risk? What programs have been put in place to redirect their path in life?what has the Ministry of Youth done re the Possibility Program for street boys?The public is entitled to know what is being done for our young people.

The time has come for us as a people to set aside our prejudices and our indifference and demand better social programs for children and young people” at risk”and above all to participate in their implementation. The time has come to invest in humanity and create a safety net for our children”at risk”This is the only way we will be spared the pain of seeing our youg men arrested  and condemned to a life of hopelessness,helplessness,crime and self destruction. The time is now!!! Remember: Each child we save is a man or a woman of tomorrow we save. Each one take one for a better Jamaica ,for a better world.

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~ by jahteecha on September 11, 2010.