In July 2024, the United Nations (UN) Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) released a report that examined the dynamics of gang activity in the Caribbean, with a specific focus on Guyana, Jamaica, Saint Lucia, and Trinidad and Tobago. The main finding of this report, which was prepared between November 2023 and January 2024, is that the Caribbean is “enmeshed in an ecosystem of transnational crime, with considerable risks of escalation in the coming years,” meaning that gang-related crime will likely worsen before it declines. While this diagnosis is not surprising, the prognosis would be deeply distressing to all law-abiding citizens.
The report notes that the number of gangs and gang members is increasing in many of the region’s countries, due to widespread access to cocaine, firearms and ammunition; gang fragmentation; entrenched corruption; and an abundance of young men between the ages of 18 and 30 who are the most at-risk, group for committing and/or becoming victims of gun violence in the Caribbean.
The report does not break much new ground. It laments the absence of research, especially regarding the categories, capabilities, and pathways into various gang types and relationships that exist between them. Its core recommendations include stronger, evidence-based, policy-making; improved information collection and research regarding criminal activities and violence; strengthened cooperation and collaboration in responding to transnational trafficking activities; and the establishment of specialised units to respond to financial crime, cybercrime, and trafficking activities. While these are all useful recommendations, the report is deficient in one critical respect: it does not provide Governments with evidenced-based, policies and strategies that could help to steer young men away from gangs.
Global research has established that family issues, such as poverty, the absence of biological parents; poor parental attachment to, and supervision of children; low expectations for success in school (both by parents and students), low student commitment to school, and attachment to their teachers; are helping to push youth to become gang members. Research has also shown that children from fatherless homes are more likely to be poor, suffer from health and emotional problems, drop out of school, and become involved in gangs and drug and alcohol abuse.
A question embedded in these findings, that should give all concerned, law-abiding citizens reason to worry is this: If more young men are joining gangs, what would be the fate of their children and their families?
The need for urgent, concerted, and sustained action to cut off the supply of young men (and women) to gangs and to break the cycle of lawlessness that could be perpetuated by gang members who are or become fathers, could not be clearer. A key strategy that must be pursued is to strengthen the forward and backward linkages between the family and the school and to enable fathers to better perform their roles and to become role models to their children.
In this regard, a “Fathers’ Night” event which was staged last week by the Family Life Commission of the Roman Catholic (R.C) Church (chaired by Dr. Rosemary Mathurin) in collaboration with the Principal of the Canaries Infant Primary School, could become a useful national and community-based strategy that helps to steer our young people away from gangs.
The objective of the event was to assist the fathers of school children to recognize the might of their positive (and negative) influences on the development of their children, and to fully embrace their roles as fathers.
The event began with motivational remarks by the Speaker of the House of Assembly, Hon Claudius Francis, and Mr. Hilary Charlemagne, a former teacher and now owner of the Beacon Restaurant overlooking Soufriere. Both speakers emphasised the connection between self-management and effective fatherhood. Mr. Francis asserted that of all the jobs he has performed over his career, none has been more fulfilling than being a Dad. Mr. Charlemagne shared powerful examples of negative and positive outcomes of poor and effective fatherhood.
Following the remarks, the fathers were invited to participate in an open, self-assessment of their performance as fathers. The prize for the father with the most points was a family dinner at the Beacon Restaurant. It was interesting observing the contrasting emotions of the fathers, as the questions were posed. Those with positive responses beamed with pride, while those with negative replies became reflective. Importantly, all fathers appeared to grasp the expectations of their children, teachers and communities, which were implied by the questions. At the end of the event, nearly all the fathers present signed up to become members of a Fathers Club.
It’s anyone’s guess whether this intervention will work. Certainly, by itself, it will not be enough. Much will depend on the support that is provided by State and civil society organizations actors, to at-risk, fathers. With all the will in the world, it will be virtually impossible for a poor, or unemployed father to capably fulfil his responsibilities as the head of his family. Ideally, the State should be alerted to this father’s status, and assist him to get a job, and depending on his earnings, support his children’s education. However, while material and/or financial support can help ease the strain on a father, it does not and will not determine the values that a father passes on to his children.
I believe any thorough examination of the root causes of the gang problem and its connection to our young men (and women) will reveal the need for spiritual development to be at the heart of our country’s human development. Without it, it is unlikely that we will succeed in building a nation of caring, responsible parents. In this regard, we need only reflect on entities like CARE and programmes like “Our Boys Matter” (OBM) as examples of initiatives that can help our young men turn their lives around and become active citizens and fathers. But to succeed, we need a clear, workable plan in which all who are care can see roles for themselves.