Christian communicators renew calls for the family development unit
The Association of Christian Communicators and Media (ACCM) is again calling for the government to urgently establish a unit to focus on rebuilding the family and helping parents cope with the challenges of child rearing in Jamaica.
The Association is again making the call in light of recent pronouncements by Justice Minister Delroy Chuck indicating that the government is seeking to introduce laws to prevent corporal punishment in homes.
The ACCM said that while the abuse of children must never be condoned and that the long arm of the law must bring to justice any parent who abuses his or her child, slapping a child appropriately as part of disciplinary measures is not considered abuse.
Minister Chuck labels slapping children as ‘wrong’ and said that the use of straps, whips, or belts must not be used to beat any child, and all forms of slapping must be pulled from acceptable disciplinary measures. The justice minister said that every
parent must learn to scold the child, even to deprive the child of some form of activity or put them in the corner to stand.
Adding that corporal punishment rarely works, the minister said the government is well advanced on a path to stop this practice. According to the ministry, the culture of beating children in schools has largely changed with legislation, strong enforcement, and the intervention of the education ministry across administrations. That shift began in the last 30 years, and Justice Minister Delroy Chuck is hoping it will soon filter into all homes islandwide.
This effort to curtail longstanding and acceptable disciplinary tools available to parents is a direct overreach by the government and can only be seen as an effort to replace the role of parents in the home. This is of deep concern as the family remains the foremost and primary unit of socialisation, and the res
ponsibility for the discipline of children must remain in and with the home.
The ACCM is also noting that the high levels of indiscipline and violence in our schools, where the government has full control, speak to a failing system that needs to be urgently addressed, and effective measures must be put in place to prevent any more of our children from losing their lives while in government care.
The Association says that the absence of a unit that focuses on family and works actively to slow and halt the continued disintegration of the family structure within society could further increase indiscipline among our children. Unless the family is strengthened, celebrated, and encouraged to function as an effective and coercive unit, all our children are at risk, and the societal framework will continue to weaken. Rather than outlawing corporal punishment, efforts should be made to educate and encourage parents to use all alternative means of discipline.
“Parents have gotten younger in recent years, and in their professional pursuits, many children are left to their own devices for extended periods. Families that subscribe to Christian values and are supported and empowered by specially designed programmes are positioned to have better outcomes in terms of the discipline and academic performance of their children.” Dr. Patience Alonge, head of the ACCM family and Gender subcommittee, said.
She added that every well-thinking Jamaican needs to be concerned about the announcement by Justice Minister Chuck.
“The Government has already demonstrated its inability to handle disciplinary issues in our schools, and it is expanding its reach into homes. This must not be accepted by the wider population. We have taken all the attitudes and cultures from the United States and adopted them into Jamaican reality. It is time for us to step back and look at what our parents did and the success they had in raising generations to love and honour God, love each other, love the country, and live decent lives. We need to train parents to be parents and to do what is good for us and our children,” Dr. Alonge said.
It should be noted that children have the right to know God the Creator for themselves through parental guidance and attendance at Sunday or Sabbath school. Families are encouraged to train children according to righteous standards to ensure that they will grow into disciplined and productive adults, guided by integrity and Godliness, while playing their part in advancing the prosperity of our society and the whole human race.