ST. JOHN’S Antigua, CMC – Prime Minister Gaston Browne says the issue of youth violence, especially during festive occasions, must be “addressed with great urgency” after a teenager was hospitalized in critical condition after he was allegedly stabbed during the annual Boxing Day Street Jam.
In a statement posted on his Facebook page, Browne said that the violence has to be “addressed with great urgency before Labour Day and Carnival Day 2024, as a matter of fact every street event from here onward”.
Media reports said that the teenager is hospitalized at the Sir Lester Bird Medical Center and that during the event, young men, allegedly between the ages of 11 and 14 years, were seen passing through with a dagger and a knife.
Prime Minister Gaston Browne
The reports said they were looking for someone and that the annual street jam ended prematurely.
In his statement, Prime Minister Browne said youth violence is becoming a critical problem here and in the broader Caribbean region.
“Urgent and sustained interventions are required by all stakeholders, starting with parents. We need to raise better-cultured children who are hardworking, empathetic, disciplined, and not oriented to use violence to resolve conflicts.”
Browne warned that the issue threatens to undermine the developmental gains and attainment of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), requiring an all-of-society intervention.
“It requires the support and interventions of parents, teachers, policymakers, church leaders, and the broader community to resolve the issue effectively. Blaming any one group of stakeholders is like kicking the can down the road,” Browne said, adding, “Let’s take collective responsibility in nurturing a softer, more cultured, and productive society.”
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