Society must help angry youth

THE EDITOR: Selwyn Cudjoe was on TV recently and one of the things he said was that we should not be afraid to ask questions.

I am taking his goodly advice and wish to ask these burning questions: Why are so many children being brought into this world who are not loved, cared for, properly fed and nourished, clothed and afforded a good education by their parents? Why is it that women are having children by different men? Why are fathers abandoning their mates and children? Why are men and women not seeking or getting advice on birth control and other means of controlling the number of children they want or can afford? While it was very sad to read of the deaths of the three young children who perished in the fire in Petit Valley, I have to wonder how many more parents out there are just as reckless and irresponsible and are so far lucky not to endure the same fate.

Why are not the doctors, nurses at the hospitals, the social workers and even religious bodies advising and educating people on contraception, tubal ligation, and other means available to limit the number of children in a family? The stark reality is that the majority of youths in the depressed areas fall into the trap of bad company and crime because they feel neglected, rejected, unloved and worst of all, treated with disdain and disrespect by society because of their impoverishment. They will tell you: “I didn’t ask to be born, yuh know .. Is only sufferation ah seeing so is me and me alone and ah do whatever ah have to do to survive ...” This is the sub-culture that is rearing its ugly head and until society can help the youths who feel anger, hatred and revenge towards their uncaring families and society, only then can we see a decrease in crime. I know that there are many people out there who follow the Bible and quote the saying that man should go forth and multiply, but what if there are only weeds multiplying and not good grass? No, it is time for people to take time to sit, think and act more responsibly.

B SANDY
Maraval