KINGSTON, Jamaica (JIS) — Director of the Fi Wi Jamaica Project, Professor Rosalea Hamilton, is appealing for citizens to show a greater sense of national responsibility, noting that this is key to addressing social ills.

She argued that there is a direct correlation between civic pride, national responsibility of citizens and the urge to speak out or take action against deviant behaviours.

Hamilton said the project has been playing its role in sparking discussions around the obligation of each citizen towards the development and safety of Jamaica.

“We have been using our organised conferences and training sessions as platforms from which to impress upon participants the necessity for every individual to play his role to create the Jamaica that he wants to see,” she noted.

She said that when questioned about who owns Jamaica, participants had a number of varying answers that did not include themselves.

“This sort of perception that Jamaica belongs to other groups or entities significantly contributes to the abdication of responsibility that has become prevalent, and we see it in the lack of bystander intervention in instances where individuals face varying levels of injustice,” Hamilton pointed out.

She cited low voter turnout for elections as a manifestation of the waning levels of national responsibility.

“The time is right for all of us to recognise the role we play in militating against the abuse of our fellow citizens and upholding moral standards as a nation for the greater good of all,” She said.

The United States Agency for International Development (USAID)-funded Fi Wi Jamaica Project, implemented in 2015, works to address domestic violence, human trafficking and intolerance within the Jamaican context, designing strategies to help stem these issues.