Prime Minister Mia Amor Mottley is deeply concerned about the high incidence of gun crimes in the region and is hopeful that the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) can play a greater role in dealing with this issue.
This was among several areas discussed when UNICEF’s Executive Director, Catherine Russell, paid a courtesy call on the Prime Minister at Government Headquarters, recently.
During the meeting, Ms. Mottley praised the work of the international organisation and stressed that the impact of gun violence was significant. She also noted that CARICOM Heads of Government hosted a conference three months ago to tackle the issue.
“Guns are an issue. Young children always had tempers.… Young children always have elements of bullying…. What changes the scale and dynamics of the situation is access to weapons…. It is critical to win the battle of the minds by making young people understand that ‘I want to grow old. But I can’t grow old if I am at risk of being killed’.”
“So, how do I change that narrative and how do we stop parents from abdicating their responsibility, or how do we help parents live up to their responsibilities?” Ms. Mottley queried.
The Prime Minister suggested that “an aggressive, culturally sensitive” parenting programme, crafted in the native language, be implemented in homes across the region.
Ms. Russell agreed that gun violence was problematic and supported the call for the parenting programme, adding: “If we can combine the parenting programme with
education and the provision of greater opportunities, it is definitely something that we can collaborate on.”
The two officials also spoke about the role of community groups in societies; the Bridgetown Initiative; increased financing for the climate crisis; education reform in Barbados; and CARICOM’s response to the crisis in Haiti.