Mark Titus, Freelance Writer

WESTERN BUREAU:

Wendy'sambition was to become a meteorologist. She attended a prominent high school in western Jamaica and was considered a B+ student.

She lives in Norwood, one of 19 informal settlements in St. James and today at 17, she is already a mother and is now pregnant for a member of the Stone Crusher gang.

After Wendy's 13th birthday, her mother migrated to the United States to seek a better way of life. She left Wendy under the supervision of her 65-year-old grandmother.

When my mother left, I just felt she had deserted me," she said, "I simply did not think she had to leave when she did."

"Although I take responsibility for my present situation, it is the way of life in the ghetto, when a Crusher' (gang member) wants you, you will have to either leave or see your relatives targeted. We had no where to go. I had no choice."

Pregnant at 13

Two months before her 14th birthday, she became pregnant. She is now known throughout the community as 'the Crusher's empress'. It might also mean he owns her for life, unless she reports it to the police. But such an act could endanger the lives of her loved ones.

Woman Detective Sgt. Lena Johnson of the Sexual Offences Unit for the parish of St. James told The Sunday Gleaner that on a number of occasions, the mothers are forced to accept the situation.

"Thereare lots of parents who would report these men, but because of fear," she said, "they would rather give up their little girls than make a formal report to the police."

"A number of them get involved with older men because of economic conditions. These men are normally the ones sending them to school and meeting their financial needs - in exchange for sexual favours."

Statistics from the Registrar General's Department (RGD) have revealed that only Kingston and St. Andrew, as well as St. Thomas, had more teenage births than St. James in 2005.

There are 998 births to mothers aged 15-19 years old in the parish, and 28 births to girls under the age of 15.

The neighbouring parish of Hanover is ranked at number five, according to the RGD. The statistics shows 699 teenage mothers giving birth in the parish in 2005, and another 25 under the age of 15.

When the Hanover police was contacted, Constabulary Communication Network (CCN) liaison officer, Woman Sergeant Sandra Salmon, told The Sunday Gleaner that there was no Sexual Offences Unit in the parish, and while there are seven women centres in Jamaica, none is located in the parish. As a result, teenaged mothers in western Hanover travel to the centre in Savanna-la-Mar, while those in the eastern part of the parish are required to travel to Montego Bay.

According to Lerline Mitchell, centre manager for the branch of the Women's Centre Foundation of Jamaica in Montego Bay, the stories are similar in both parishes.

"Most of these young women got pregnant through either experimenting, the lack of parental guidance or simply poor supervision" she said.

"Most mothers leave for the hotel programme overseas and their girls are left to be supervised by friends or grandparents."

There are exactly 100 registered young girls from St. James and Hanover who participate in the programme at the Montego Bay centre.

"While it might sound harsh, sometimes it takes situations like these for some of our girls to understand what responsibility is all about and settle down."

Regional Director for the Child Development Agency (CDA) in Western Jamaica, Sidney Grant, agrees that intimidation social and peer pressure are some of the reasons why teenagers become sexually active at an early age. But he also believes that a lack of confidence in those who they should be able to confide in, is also a contributing factor.

"When our girls are facing a challenging situation, they should be able to come to anyone in a leadership capacity and feel comfortable to speak to them in confidence," he said. "At school, they are afraid to speak with the guidance counsellor, because their business might be taken to the staff room.

"There is no confidence in our pastors, teachers or the police, and this must be a cause for concern.

"It is my humble opinion, that if we address the lack of parenting skills among our parents, this would go a far way in arresting the problem of teenage pregnancy not only in the western parishes, but also throughout Jamaica."

Name changed.

mark.titus@gleanerjm.com