Arrested development, besides being the name of a music group and a television series about a dysfunctional family, is unfortunately the state of life of the poor and vulnerable in this country, particularly women and children. The argument has been well made that poverty is one of the stimulants of crime. Evidence is also available to show that in what could only be described as a vicious circle, poverty is also the result of crime.
Keeping tabs on crime is essential to development, not only of a nation but of its peoples, collectively and individually. However, in its overarching role security refers not only to the absence of crime but also to the upholding of human rights in the widest possible sense.
All around the world, women and children suffer excessively, when compared with men, in instances of unrest and crime. For example, pick any country where a war is currently being fought and you will find that women and children, especially girl children, not only lose their homes and families, access to food, health care, water and other necessary services, but are also raped and/or enslaved and sometimes forced into so-called “military” service.
At home, there is no denying the fact that because they have been/are being used as headquarters for criminal gangs some areas have been stigmatized. The most prominent examples of this are Buxton and Agricola. However, over the years, persons resident in some city wards, particularly Rosemary Lane or others in South Georgetown such as Albouystown, have found that they needed to use a relative’s address in another area in order to secure a job interview. Too many others do not even bother to try as they feel defeated by discrimination before they would have taken that step.
Crime is only one reason why these and other areas appear to be stuck in a time warp while others move forward, making the general development of the country artificial. What makes it worse is that over time the stigma clings not just to the area, but to the products of it. As the proverb says, ‘Give a dog a bad name and hang him.’
Some years ago, in the height of the crime wave which followed the 2002 jailbreak and even after it appeared to have subsided somewhat, the average person would not have been caught dead venturing into some of these areas, especially Buxton. However, this has been changing. With church groups and non-governmental organisations both local and overseas-based leading the way, the de-stigmatization of ‘bad name’ communities has begun.
This year during the current August holiday season, the Guyana Defence Force decided to host its second ‘camp’ for children in the Buxton-Friendship area, offering learning in life skills, use of the computer, drama and sport. According to a report in this newspaper earlier this month, the decision was taken after concerned members of civil society met the army hierarchy and expressed their concern over the development in the villages.
Twice the number of youth who could be adequately accommodated at the camp turned out for it; testimony to how necessary such ventures are. It is a pity that funds could not immediately be found for one or two NGOs to host a parallel camp with the group of about 100 young people who had to be turned away. One hopes that next year’s exercise takes cognizance of the numbers and that the camps could perhaps be opened to children from other communities nearby to encourage the intermingling necessary for improved neighbourly relations, which would also help to remove the stigma.
Colonel Mark Phillips, who was acting in the capacity of Chief of Staff at the opening of the camp was quoted in this newspaper as saying that as Guyana “forges its national destiny of enhancing the economic, cultural and social fortunes of our citizens, it is the duty of the Guyana Defence Force to work with all stakeholders to provide a necessary stable and secure environment which is desirable for all our people to prosper.”
This statement has committed the army to continuing with what it has started in this area and to taking the process further. An annual youth camp, targeting a number of older teenagers, is also an excellent way of attracting and noticing future recruits and is perhaps something the Guyana Police Force should emulate. It is also a practical way to help arrest the backward slide of human development.
