Men needed in fight against child abuse
published: Friday | February 7, 2003
THE EDITOR, Sir:
THE LETTER from the Children's Issues Coalition at the University of the West Indies speaks to a determination by academics engaged in related disciplines to seek to influence positively the creation of the conditions for sound development and nurture of all Jamaica's children.
The names and the work of most participants are well-known; accomplishing the specification of early childhood care occupational standards, conducting nutrition and development studies, and managing the certification of kindergarten teachers, among myriad other system improvements. Notwithstanding their standing and influence, the absence of any males from the coalition, is an observation.
The country should not make the faulty inference that the issues raised by the coalition are not matters of grave concern, and should realise that they ought to be important across gender. This is not to suggest in any way that issues that men ignore or are not too involved in, are unimportant. Although there may be few or no male developmental psychologists in the country, there are certainly more than a handful of men in the tertiary education enterprise and in business leadership, who must share the values of the coalition. It would be an indictment on all if none could be found.
Even token participation, would reinforce the appropriate message that child development is everybody's business. In the interim, the coalition must be acknowledged and commended for its activism to keep the spotlight on the issue of child abuse, especially in institutional care.
