Crime
Barbados Social Advocates Address Rise in Youth Violence Linked to Parenting Crisis
Barbados social workers highlight the impact of parenting breakdown on youth violence, urging urgent action to address the root causes. Government acknowledges rise in murders and firearms seizures.
3 min read
Originally published by barbadostoday.bb (opens in new tab)
As Barbados grapples with a troubling rise in youth violence, two social workers are sounding the alarm on a critical yet often overlooked factor: the erosion of positive parenting. This family breakdown, they argue, is creating a perfect storm that is pushing more young people towards crime and threatening the very fabric of Barbadian society.
The island recorded 26 murders up to the end of July this year – compared to 21 for all of last year – with an unprecedented number of young perpetrators. Now, the leading social advocates are calling for urgent action to address the root causes of this disturbing trend.
Juliet Hinds, community outreach and advocacy chair of the Barbados Association of Professional Social Workers (BAPSW), and Fabian Sargeant, president of the Men’s Empowerment Network, spoke exclusively to Barbados TODAY about the crisis unfolding in homes across the island.
“If you want to impact a generation, we have to start at the root of the current generation, and that is really trying to impact parenting,” Sargeant emphasised. “[That means] getting parents to think differently, getting parents to try and understand their role, to understand that they are preparing adults for the future, and getting parents to be more selfless and stop being selfish.”
The government has acknowledged the “serious uptick” in murders and the “tremendous burden” of the high numbers recorded so far this year, Attorney General Dale Marshall told the Lower House during the debate on the Bail Bill 2024, last month. Marshall said at the time that the number of firearms seized by the police was at an all-time high, including high-powered weapons such as AK47s and Glocks.
These statistics reflect the multifaceted challenges facing the island, including the competing pressures faced by many Barbadian families, according to Sargeant.
“Everybody is hustling, so therefore money takes priority,” he said. “We need parents to understand that when they neglect their duties, we end up with things like what we face in society today, where there is a big gap between what we consider right or wrong.”
Hinds echoed these concerns, drawing particular attention to the absence of positive father figures in many households. The BAPSW is currently spearheading an innovative programme to reconnect children aged six to ten with their estranged fathers, fostering healthier family dynamics.
