The country is faced with a crisis. The erosion of the family has contributed in recent years to an overall decline in the moral standards of our society and, by extension, our progress as a country.

For years while we have been gripped by crime, violence and perversion of alarming sorts as well as other ills of society, successive governments have sought to put a Band-Aid over the real issue, the breakdown of the family and most severely the absence of the father within the household as a disciplinarian and source of strong leadership as well as protector and provider for his offspring.

It is troubling that no social programme the Government has implemented has successfully addressed this issue nor does it even claim to have a solution for the reclamation of the Jamaican family.

I sincerely hope that going forward, the social policies of this government will look at ways to address the issue so we won't have a nation of children making a living at stop lights.

I am, etc.,

RICHARD BROWN

ruelz008@hotmail.com

Liguanea, St Andrew

Kingston 6