The following is Government Senator Natalie Campbell Rodriques’ contribution to the State of the Nation Debate, made in the Upper House of Parliament on Friday (July 23).

As a human being I have this strong desire to see the human race continue to grow and flourish, especially right here in Jamaica. For this to happen we must not only keep reproducing but also ensure that our children and young people are able to be their best selves at home, at school, at church, at play, as a matter of fact, anywhere they choose to be.

What do I mean when I say ‘best selves’? Am I referring to having material possessions such as video games and laptops and fancy toys? There is a place for all that but when I say best self with regard to our children, I am referring to them being safe, self-assured, having access to health care, education and their general physical safety.

The last few weeks and months have been hard for our children and not just because they are missing out on so much of what makes a childhood due to this pandemic. Just this week we mourned the four-year-old boy who was allegedly beaten to death by his stepfather. We have the menace of men, from all walks of society, abusing our vulnerable youngsters. We have mothers protecting abusers. It has not been a bed of roses for our children and young people and that is the reason new measures are being put in place, all while, old measures are being revamped. It has been difficult and heart wrenching and anger-inducing to hear the news of what has been taking place.

I know the easy response after the feelings of emotion is to blame the Government. Do not get me wrong, the Government, as does any government, has a major role to play in protecting all citizens, including children, but I stand strong in saying that as parents, aunts, uncles, grandparents, godparents, neighbours and friends we all must take responsibility for what has been happening. As women we must be mindful of the men we let into our lives and that of our children. First priority must be a safe place for children in their homes. As parents we must not allow the
induced fear of fire, brimstone and damnation to let us leave our children vulnerable while they learn the Word of the Gospel. We must not facilitate blind faith.

I urge all Jamaicans to keep in mind the following scriptures:

Ephisians 5:11 says, “Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them.”

Psalm 82:4 says, “Rescue the weak and the needy; deliver them from the hand of the wicked.”

What clearer messages, other than the Word of the Lord, do we need to understand that we are not to protect anyone who molests our children and youth? We must not lay our girls and boys carelessly exposed to evil elements. It does not matter how much power we think the abuser has. Whether it be a church leader, a politician, a doctor, lawyer, teacher, no one should be allowed to escape the law for abusing our most vulnerable. Safeguards must be put in
place by us as caregivers to shield our children from evil and wickedness.

The Government has a role, along with citizens, and that is why I am proud to remind us of some of the plans/initiatives already announced by Minister Williams less than two weeks ago. The plans are part of reforms to the child protection
ecosystem in Jamaica:

1. A helpline for children is to be launched in early September.
   The phones will be manned 24 hours per day by child care professionals. The number to be called will be 211.
2. The CPFSA and the Ministry of Education, Youth and Information have developed a policy to accelerate family-type
   placement of children aged 0-3 years old.
3. Legislation is being drafted to amend the Child Care and Protection Act (CCPA). Section 24 which we know is problematic will finally be addressed.
4. The Adoption Act of 1958 will be repealed and replaced.
5. Work is being undertaken to develop a framework for safety of children online.

This is but some of the action being undertaken. I can guarantee that what has not yet begun will do shortly, as the
principle of the Andrew Holness-led Government is to move things as quickly as possible through the pipeline to ensure benefits to our citizenry.

It would be remiss of me to not mention that ground has been broken for a $120-million therapeutic centre for children in state care. This is a big deal because not only will issues of the psychological wellbeing of children be given more attention but this signifies that we are considering the needs of all children as priority. Things are not rosy but the relevant entities and the government are working to make them rosy, through proper management of state resources and a determination to do things better than ever before. Ministers Williams and Morgan are steering
the ship with steady and capable hands. Earlier this week the debate in the Lower House on the issue of corporal punishment was in full swing. A corporal punishment campaign will be launched to encourage positive forms of discipline as, we cannot continue to inflict not just pain but mental trauma on our children in the name of punishment.

I welcome this campaign as I am sure you do too.

The negative effects from this deep-rooted practice of corporal punishment is obvious in how our children relate to each other and as adults. As a people, our capacity to self-regulate and resolve conflicts amicably, is extremely low. When and how would we learn these skills if when as children our elders, draped, thumped, punched, whipped or yelled at us for doing what is perceived as wrong. Would it not be better if other approaches were undertaken
to reprimand and punish?

What if we spent more time highlighting positive behaviours?

DEFIANCE FROM CHILDREN SHOULD NOT BE TAKEN PERSONALLY

What if parents were taught (since the skill has not existed for generations) what behaviours to expect from children at different ages? How many times have we been sitting waiting in a space and there is a mother or father with a two-year-old child who is being slapped, pinched or yelled at for not sitting quietly? It hurts my heart every time I see it. For a long time I felt anger towards these parents but on reflection, it dawned on me that many of us grew up hearing
that children should be seen and not heard. Many of us and our parents were raised this way and so we know no differently. But small children should not be expected to sit still, unoccupied for long periods of time. It is a matter of biology; it cannot be expected to happen. Let us run radio and tv ads to help parents to understand this concept.

Let us help parents to understand that defiance from our children and young people should not be taken personally. In a society where egos are tied to almost everything, including parenting, we must spread the word and teach the idea that because a child is being facetious does not mean the response should be a slap in the face.

How can we expect to lower the cases of domestic abuse when as youngsters we learn that those who love us most, lash out at us when they are angry? In the context, as adults what skills would one have developed to counter this idea? I submit here today that as a society we must include conflict resolution skills in our schools at all levels. It can be done for the first half an hour after lunch break four or five days per week.

CHURCHES SHOULD INCLUDE CONFLICT RESOLUTION IN TEACHINGS

In addition, I use this platform to urge churches to include conflict resolution workshops, talks and reflections at Sunday School, prayer meetings, youth group meetings and all other avenues at which the word of the Lord is disseminated.

Which church or institution of theology will collate and make available all scriptures of the Bible relating to positive conflict resolution?

Which theatre company or department at the Edna Manley School for the Visual and Performing Arts will develop material to use for role play to show scenarios of positive conflict resolution?

Which PR or marketing company will develop ads and jingles and TikTok videos to be as powerful as the Two is Better Than Too Many 1980s ads? By the way, we need to bring back that Two is Better Than Too Many campaign. But that discussion is for another time.

Which donor agencies will help to fund these campaigns?

All hands are needed on deck to help the current situation. We need to ensure an all of Government, all of Opposition,
all of civil society, all of NGO, all of diplomatic, all of church, all of citizenry approach to quell the flames which are now burning against our children.

Before moving on with this presentation, I cannot but make note of the fact that for months there has been a loud call,
and rightly so, for the entertainment sector to get a chance. Why am I not hearing such loud calls for us to do everything, as citizens, for our children to return to school? We know the negatives of the way they have now been forced to attend school.

Do we only pay lip service to our children and their needs? Do we really love our children?

The state of children and youth in Jamaica is a work in resurgence. Let us all get on board.

The matter of gender is quite nuanced here in Jamaica. Globally, when one thinks of gender parity or gender issues
the mind turns to the needs of girls and women. I will today make my own confession. At the time when Minister Grange announced that a male desk had been set up within the gender unit at her Ministry, I felt a bit annoyed. In my mind I grumbled about the patriarchy and rolled my eyes at least a thousand times. As someone who works in
the development area of gender inclusion and parity, I allowed the everyday toil with ensuring that women are treated fairly to cloud my mind from seeing that Jamaica has a particularly unique gender issue at play.

I do not want to be misunderstood so I will take the time to carefully outline my point.

There is no doubt that even with Jamaica having a large number of women in leadership positions, especially within the private sector, there is still a far way to go with ensuring that women have a voice and confidence across all sectors. Within this space of the country’s parliament we can establish and move forward with the Parliamentary Women’s Caucus which I know will be activated by Minister Grange and her team in short order. This Caucus will facilitate women in both Houses of Parliament to meet, discuss, plan and push for laws and policies to aid Jamaican women with the rights, respect and inclusion needed. Many of the issues facing our children and families would be solved if Jamaican women were more empowered.

That is a fact.

ENDANGERING LIVES OF CHILDREN

Yes, many of us are loud and fill every space we occupy and this gives the impression that the patriarchy is not in control but we are the same group that largely tend to defer to men. Many women endanger the lives of their children in order to put food on the table and to be able to show off among our peers. There is still the idea that ‘woman fi get lick’, an idea held by both men and women alike.

So, without doubt, there is absolutely more work needed to assist the majority of Jamaican women to truly actualise. Nonetheless, I posit that Jamaica’s more dangerous gender issue arises from the situation being faced by our boys and men and being held up across gender lines.

Too large a number of our males are operating outside the halls of structured society. There are those who want to stay outside the halls and we must work to alleviate this by systematically being inclusive for the majority as well as the privileged. On the other hand, there are those, especially among the young, who would want to operate within the main halls of society but do not know where to begin. The only thing some of these young men know is to how to act strong even when all they need is a hug, a kind word and a safe space to just be.

Too many of our males are not doing well in school. This comes from varying factors. There is the image again where real men are not nerds and being or acting smart and intelligent is nerdy. Real men also do not wear glasses as that is nerdy so many boys cannot see the chalkboard due to poor eyesight but will not say so for fear of being made to wear glasses which leads to teasing taunting which then leads to sadness and low esteem.

Too many of our males are confused and lost given their lack of role models and the burden of ‘being a man’ placed on them by society. Why do we tell little boys, aged even three years old that they are maaama men or that they are acting like girls? How can a child who simply needs a hug, be afraid to ask or receive said hug because it would make their father or uncle upset if they dared to show the need for tenderness?

Do we need affirmative action for boys entering universities? I am convinced we are at that point when this must be
a consideration. The gender fight and struggle has not been about one gender outflanking the other; it has been about parity. We will have a problem if our society has a shortage of highly educated and emotionally stable males.

Let us examine the graduating glass at the University of the West Indies for the 2019 to 2020 school year. Note, that the disparities I will highlight are from a single year but they are not an anomaly.

At the moment our boys are being crushed and we must act to save their future. Our country need an educated, emotionally intelligent and mentally healthy population of both men and women.

I no longer role my eyes, but instead lift my hat to the Minister for seeing the need and working with the team in the Ministry to fixing the problem.

The state of males in Jamaica needs continued urgent attention.

We are now going through what can only be termed as one of the most favourite times for Jamaicans at home and abroad.

It would be out of order of me to not acknowledge this season. What am I referring to? The Olympics.

Our athletes have been through the ringer due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic but I am sure all will agree that they have shown nothing short of resilience. This group of professionals and their management and medical teams have endured postponements, large numbers of testing for the virus, disappointment and now they will face empty stadiums and no roaring crowds to boost morale and stimulate performance. I know though, in the same way I stand
here assured that our ministers with responsibility for sports, the Honorable Olivia Babsy Grange and Minister Terrelonge has done everything humanly possible to support our athletes, that the green, yellow and black will fly high on the shoulders of some of our finest Jamaicans. I take this opportunity to wish all our athletes and their support teams all the best in Japan.

Sports in Jamaica remains one of the most organised industries, even with any ills that may arise periodically.

The state of sports in Jamaica is always and will remain a matter of pride.

As I conclude I want to turn our attention to these bits of string in my hand. I often fiddle about when bored or when
thinking and I also crochet so I do spend time with strings and cords.

Try as I may though, I cannot get these strings to solve problems. Problems are solved with auditing the problem, identifying solutions and then implementing. No matter how much time I spend with the strings and how many of us play with the strings it just will not bring results for making our country better.

Jamaica needs us as leaders of this country to rise to the occasion and be one with what is needed. Jamaica then needs
us to act swiftly and sensibly because as my grandmother used to say, “Time waits for no man”. Jamaica is on a path that is strong and focused and I beg God to continue to guide and protect us while we make our way through uncharted waters caused by the pandemic.