Dear Editor,

Poverty is the root cause of crime and one related issue which is not discussed enough is the high rate of unplanned and teen pregnancies, especially among the poor.

Poverty creates criminals and many develop serious mental issues and carry out the most heinous crimes, as we’ve seen on the news. We must move swiftly to curb these high rates of unplanned pregnancies, especially among teens. We must analyse the data and focus on areas with the highest rates.

Adolescents, aged 10-19, represent 20 per cent of Jamaica’s population, and research shows that as much as 40 per cent of women in this group have at least one child by the age of 20. This presents challenging social and public health problems, including mental well-being.

Most young mothers are single parents who cannot care for themselves, much less raise children. They remain stuck in a vicious cycle of poverty, with limited opportunities to improve their lives, which also makes them vulnerable to sexual exploitation and put their children at risk. Children born into poverty are at greater risk of developing serious antisocial and psychotic behaviour. A few will find ways to break the cycle, but most won’t.

Some 30 per cent of Jamaican youth are illiterate, they are school dropouts who become detached, unemployed, idle, and hopeless. A conservative attitude towards sex education to deal with these issues is archaic and ineffective. The reality is that teens are having sex, they have access to the internet and lack the maturity and understanding to handle the consequences of being sexually active at a young age.

We must aggressively implement a strategy to curb the high rate of teen pregnancies using education and other techniques. We must address these issues in schools with information, counselling, and an ongoing media campaign.

The recent horrific murders are a reminder that we must take action now. We are living among psychotic individuals and the thought that they could be beside us in public is frightening.

Member of Parliament Lisa Hanna delivered a passionate presentation in Parliament recently about the brutal murders, in particular those affecting children; it was heartfelt.

We urge Government and businesses to invest in more closed-circuit television (CCTV) cameras everywhere, business places, residential complexes, etc. Cameras are worth the investment and may well deter criminals and aid the police to identify and find criminals quickly.

Government must strengthen the police force to be more visible, effective, and responsive. The army can be more effective using the Coast Guard and Air Wing to protect borders against illegal imports of guns and ammunitions; let them put their training to better use. We must also provide greater support, in terms of social services and counselling, to help the poor, especially those with children.

It is our responsibility as a society and we must tackle these problems from different angles at the same time to get results. A country cannot advance or develop with a high crime rate. At what point do we say enough is enough?

Jamaicans are waiting to hear what will be done next. We cannot condemn brutal crimes, express condolence and prayers, then move on the next day as if nothing happened. There is need for a comprehensive strategy, an action plan for the short, medium, and long term. The same way they found funds to support massive increases for politicians, they can find the funds for urgent social intervention and to fight crime more effectively.

I urge the Government to take the lead and act decisively, now. I am certain that civic groups, businesses, churches, and decent citizens will do what they can to follow its lead and support its efforts.

The problem will only get worse with inaction.

P Chin

chin_p@yahoo.com