Almost every day there is a report in the media about some act of domestic violence. Son kills mother or father, brother kills brother, friend kills friend, and the horror story never ends.

These acts of violence, some of them seemingly senseless and horribly heartless, continue to shock the nation and instil fear in the general citizenry. Most times these heinous acts are caused by prolonged disputes or short-term incidents of disagreements, occurring in a household, community, is gang-related, and more recently, has become prevalent in schools.

Tourism is Jamaica’s leading economic activity, and it is well known that the two main reasons this industry has been consistently a success story are firstly, the almost matchless beauty of the island, and secondly, the warmth and friendliness of the Jamaican people. This is a most bittersweet irony, isn’t it? Considering that hundreds of Jamaicans are being murdered every year, not to mention those that are maimed and wounded, leaving scars that will haunt them for the rest of their lives, both physically and mentally. In real terms, therefore, tourism has enabled us to wear a mask which seeks to hide this twisted reality as we desperately try to hide this ugly scar.

A July 2022 news report revealed that there had almost been a 100 per cent increase in the number of Jamaicans who reported experiencing domestic abuse or violence over the last five years. State minister Zavia Mayne in the Ministry of National Security revealed then that just over 4,000 previously reported cases of domestic violence had increased to around 8,000. Not to be overlooked is the fact that a large number of domestic violence cases have been against women and girls, but it must be noted that men, boys, and the elderly as well as students are also victims of this antisocial behaviour.

A study conducted by The University of the West Indies, in listing the major causes of domestic violence, disclosed that “personality problems (antisocial, borderline, and narcissistic personality disorders) lead to relationship instability through role distortions, dominance and control issues, and distorted dependency feelings. The aim is to control the victim and the suggested or actual use of violence is an effort to make the partner comply with their wishes. Persons who carry out acts of domestic violence are disturbed by feelings of abandonment, entitlement, and a need for admiration. They are often arrogant in their interpersonal style and display a lack of empathy towards others. There is some objectification of their partner and suicidal or homicidal thoughts may emerge out of a fear of loss of that object. Additionally, there may be recent as well as previous personal history of assaults. Their impulsivity may be reflected through frequent traffic violations, repeated suicide attempts, hypersexuality, and emotional lability.”

In the meantime, anecdotally, there have been numerous accounts of domestic disputes and violence that have been related to land disputes; “dead lef” (quarrels over family legacy); gun ownership; “jacket” issues (cases in which men find out they are not the fathers of children they thought were theirs); reprisals; business transactions gone wrong; cheating (women giving the man “bun”), envy (“badmind”); sibling rivalry; bullying, sexual harassment or deviation; mental illness; “dissing” (someone is demeaned or disrespected); and jealousy.

Interestingly, one other factor that is oftentimes overlooked is illiteracy, which tends to make an individual incapable of reasoning and is, therefore, left with no recourse but to react emotionally. Many people also lack critical thinking skills and are wont to become “ignorant”, that is, prone to solving problems in a violent way, whether verbally or physically. In other words, an irrational and irascible human being.

All this begs the question: What is the Government doing to deal with this age-old problem?

UN Women, a gender-based global champion for gender equality, has put forward the following suggestions/solutions:

* Increase resources for shelters, hotlines, and other services so that they can meet heightened demand

* Protect elected and non-elected women leaders from gender-based violence. Any efforts to protect and combat violence against women in politics must consider women in all their public roles, including women civil servants and experts

* Consider the communication needs of older women and women with limited access to ICT — for example, by setting up emergency warning systems in pharmacies and grocery stores

* Make information and communication channels accessible for women with disabilities

* Scale up public awareness campaigns, particularly those targeted at men and boys

*Develop and implement measures to address online and ICT-facilitated violence

* Increase funding to women’s organisations. Evidence shows that the strength of women’s organisations is one of the biggest factors in driving positive policy changes to end violence against women

* Ensure women’s economic independence by enabling access to and control over regular, secure, and long-term income.

Although much of these suggestions/solutions are biased toward women, in a generic way they may also be applied to men. Indeed, it is perhaps unfortunate that there has been a tendency from a policy perspective to ignore issues relating to the male of the species, a regrettable sin of omission that has led to the high level of dysfunctional behaviour in our men folk, inclusive of boys. In this regard, the time has come for gender advocacy organisations to promote programmes and projects that zero in on issues relation to disputes and violence relating to men and boys who are more often than not the main violence producers.

Indeed, there needs to be a revised national policy approach to this issue in order to ensure that the country embarks on a more balanced approach when it comes to men-women issues.

The recent startling revelation by Police Commissioner Major General Antony Anderson that there has been a sharp increase in crimes involving children (most likely more boys than girls) brings this matter into even sharper focus. And the tradition of leaving boys to their own devices (“leggo the bull calf”) while corralling the heifer will continue to have detrimental consequences. “Tek sleep mark death!”

Lloyd B Smith has been involved in media for the past 46 years. He has also served as a Member of Parliament and Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives. He hails from western Jamaica where he is popularly known as the Governor. Send comments to the Jamaica Observer or lbsmith4@gmail.com.