Cabinet Calls for Greater Parental Involvement to Address Youth Violence

Cabinet is calling for greater parental involvement and stronger conflict-resolution education as the government considers ways to address violence among young people.

Director General of Communications Maurice Merchant said Cabinet held a lengthy discussion on the issue Wednesday against the backdrop of recent shootings and other violent incidents involving young people.

“Cabinet recognizes that this is a worrying trend,” Merchant said during the post-Cabinet news briefing Thursday.

He said ministers examined how young people respond to disagreements and concluded that many lack the skills needed to resolve conflicts peacefully.

“When young people are at odds with one another, there is no discussion, there is no rational thinking on how to reach a conclusion to that disagreement,” Merchant said. “The only thing that they are familiar with is violence in most cases.”

Merchant said Cabinet identified parental involvement as a central part of any response to the problem.

“What role should parents play in ensuring that certain morals and certain attitudes are developed within our young people towards conflict resolution?” he asked.

He said conflict-resolution skills must be reinforced at home, in schools and throughout communities.

“Young people need to develop within themselves modes of resolving their conflicts peacefully,” Merchant said.

The discussion followed a meditation delivered at the start of the Cabinet meeting by Pastor Baltimore, who raised concerns about youth violence, vandalism and what he described as declining moral values.

Cabinet also discussed expanding surveillance cameras at strategic locations across Antigua and Barbuda to assist police with crime prevention and detection.

Merchant did not announce a specific parental-support programme or indicate when any new youth intervention measures would be introduced.

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