BARBADOS & JAMAICA
Bishop Neil Scantlebury of Bridgetown believes that poor parenting may be a key factor contributing to the island’s rising crime rate.
He was speaking to Starcom Network News a day after Deputy Prime Minister Santia Bradshaw called on the Church to take a more active role in guiding the nation’s youth during a meeting held at the Barbados Labour Party’s Christ Church East branch meeting at the St Christopher’s Primary School, last June.
“.…what you have to do, the churches and the community leaders and the political directorate and all of the branches, is to stop pointing the fingers and figure out how you can be the support systems for our young people,” Bradshaw said.
Bishop Scantlebury acknowledged ongoing efforts by the Catholic Church but shifted the spotlight toward the home.
He noted that the Church is spearheading several initiatives aimed at steering young people away from criminal activity. However, he stressed that addressing parenting issues is critical to achieving meaningful, long-term change.
“…they look for activities to satisfy their own desires and they will get into crime because they are looking to do something to get whatever they want,” Bishop Scantlebury told the news agency.
He said parents are now openly disrespectful toward one another, leading young people to lose respect for others as well.
Meanwhile, in Jamaica, Senator Dr Dana Morris Dixon urged churches to go beyond prayer and take action to support children facing abuse. Speaking at the Jamaica Council of Churches’ Service of Lament for Violence Against Children, June 24, the education and youth minister called on religious institutions to become more involved in schools and parenting support.
Highlighting recent tragedies and a breakdown in family values, Dixon emphasised the need for safe spaces, stronger church-school partnerships, and real solutions to protect Jamaica’s most vulnerable.
“It is important to pray, but it is just as important that we do the work that God has told us we must do, and that takes place in the schools and working with these beautiful children,” she told The Gleaner.
Morris Dixon emphasised the need for safe spaces where children can speak about their experiences and receive necessary intervention.
More than 150 children were murdered and just over 4,000 sexually assaulted in Jamaica over the five-year period that ended last year.
The minister noted that the Government is currently pursuing amendments to the Child Care and Protection Act, including harsher penalties for crimes against children.
Morris Dixon also pointed to a “serious breakdown” in parenting, suggesting that the Church can play a critical role in addressing this gap.
“One of the biggest issues we have in our schools is parenting and the lack thereof. Their parents are not taking them to church, their parents are not teaching them good values, their parents are opening them up to abuse, and so we have to take on a larger role in our schools,” she said.
Bishop Christine Gooden Benguche, President of the Jamaica Council of Churches—which includes the Catholic Church among its members—has reaffirmed the Church’s dedication to advocating for children’s rights.
“Every single year, they must never forget the children who have died in this country. It must
be brought to light; we must remember them. We must remember the families that are hurting,” she said.
