A member of the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF) has pointed out the prevalence of cyberbullying in schools across Jamaica with the use of electronic devices.
Sgt. Dean Cover, sub-officer in charge of Area 3’s community safety and security branch (St. Elizabeth, Manchester, and Clarendon), told parents during a parenting seminar at Glenmuir High School’s Sydney Scott Auditorium that they needed to be more vigilant. The senior cop is also the chief security officer for schools. He interacted with parents during the seminar on March 20, which was organised by the Parent-Teacher Association under the theme “Effective Parenting: Top Tier Teens.’
Regarding cyberbullying—the use of electronic communications to bully people—he noted that the issue was not just in Central Jamaica but islandwide.
He pointed to a brawl that was brought to his attention, which involved the use of inappropriate, shameful content, and a photo of a male student that was posted on Facebook by a female student.
“So he [the male student] and his friends felt bad about it and decided to ‘butcher her’ not far from where a police station was located. It was a taxi driver who was passing and saw this and intervened,” he shared. He further pointed out that the children parents are sending to school or have at home often display a different personality from the children that are encountered on the street.
“So even if they have Facebook, Twitter, or anything at all, you must be the first person to be on that page to see and know what is happening on it. Ask some questions,” he implored.
Head of the Jamaica Cyber Incident Response Team (JaCIRT), Lieutenant Colonel Godphey Sterling, had also warned parents two years ago to be on the lookout for cyberbullying. Cyberbullying is a growing problem around the world and can happen on social media, messaging, and gaming platforms, as well as through other digital avenues.
“Bullies commonly thrive on the reactions of their victims. Responding with hostility often provokes [them]. If you or your child receives unwanted email messages, consider blocking the sender or even changing your email address. The problem may stop, [but] if you continue to get messages at the new account, you may have a compelling case for legal action,” he said during an interview with JIS.
The JaCIRT head also advised parents to be mindful about the information they share online.
“Be careful who can access contact information or details about your children’s interests or habits. Limiting the information about them online may [reduce] their risk of becoming a victim,” he said.
Sgt. Cover also related several cases of bullying generally in schools and urged parents not to take complaints from children lightly.
In one of the cases cited, a teen was arrested for carrying a ratchet. The closing investigation revealed he was being picked on by some boys who beat upon him on a daily basis. He urged parents to search their children’s bags as he bemoaned the fact that many have stopped doing this.
Keynote speaker Jeffrey Dawkins stressed, in his address, the importance of not allowing children to “rule the home,” citing examples of how he deals with his own children. He said at 10 p.m. they know it is time to “hand over the phones” and go to bed.
There are things he also upholds, such as ensuring they knock before bursting into a room, greeting adults by their proper title, and having manners, which he said he maintains at Denbigh High School, where he is a faculty staff member.
“When you send them to school, they are my children; when I send them back home, you take over the parenting,” he stressed, saying parents need to invest time in setting ground rules for children and not allow them to dictate.
Dawkins, who is the father of three children, said he is not averse to learning from his children, as he recalls his eldest son, who attends Denbigh, asking to have a talk with him surrounding the correction of his younger brother, a first-former at Glenmuir. He delighted the audience by powerfully belting out the words of “Bridge Over Troubled Water.”
He said some things “meck mi shame,” while making his point that parents should be willing to listen to the views of their children as they too count.
During the seminar, there was an eye-opening panel discussion as students fielded questions surrounding interactions with parents. Coming out of the discussion, it was highlighted that parents need to be more involved in their children’s lives and not be judgmental. They also said comparison was a no-no.
MC for the evening Andrea Delcita Wright, in between cracks of belly-busting humour, provided some great tips to parents, as she, too, urged them to encourage children to be open with them and to talk about what’s happening in their lives.