Sometimes we are bombarded by reports of anti-social behaviour of
teenagers. For instance, in January 2006 there was a report from Barbados (in
the Caribbean) of teachers being afraid of the increasing violence in schools. Also
in nearby Jamaica, there were reports of teachers being threatened by students,
a robbery and an 11th grade student being stabbed. And, during that month,
there was a headline in a local newspaper Newsday
(in Trinidad) – “Student, 14, tries to rape teacher.” This incident occurred at
a Junior Secondary school in central Trinidad.
A month later, in February 2006, there were reports
of a thirteen year old primary school student at Nelson Street Boys Roman
Catholic School in Port-of-Spain in Trinidad terrorising his classmates. And
there were allegations he sexually molested and fondled students. Also, in
February, a secondary school in south Trinidad, two schoolboys in rival gangs
confronted each other and one was stabbed and the other had to serve eight
months in jail. During that same month and year, there was a report from the
National Survey on Drug Use and Health (based in the United States) that
teenaged girls were experimenting with cigarettes, marijuana and alcohol at higher
rates than boys.
I have focused on a few newspaper reports for
two months in 2006. Think about the many incidents before and after
January-February 2006 across the globe. We
do not need to be reminded of grim statistics that indicate some of our boys
are underachievers and violent. Their problems are often undiagnosed. Do not be
fooled by phrases such as “Boys will be boys” which are a part of the recipes for disasters.
You might be asking: Who is to blame? What is
the cause? When these teenagers were babies and young boys, maybe they experienced Parental Alienation Syndrome or were denied love and attention. Maybe they
lacked balanced meals and were malnourished. Maybe the television was allowed
to be the babysitter. And, there is no need to elaborate on the harmful effects
of some television shows on impressionable young minds. Maybe these boys were
given the freedom to play ‘mature’ or ‘adults-only’ video games that depicted
violence and sex. In 2005, the National Institute on Media and the Family
(based in the United States) listed games that glamourized sex, guns and
violence and also cannibalism. The videos games are similar to the genre of music
videos or movies being produced. I am neither a behavioural scientist nor a
therapist and certainly in no position to judge a society as being primitive or
progressive. But, if cannibalism is being glamourized, in the 21st century,
then something is seriously wrong with that society’s values.
A nation could have grand architecture, excellent
athletes, amazing artistes, brilliant inventors and world class universities,
but that country is neither progressive nor developed if its young generation
lacks a sense of direction, purpose and proper goals. Think about this – what
is the use of a high standard of living, strong currency and powerful military
if a country’s boys are committing criminal acts and unable to form proper
relationships with other persons? We cannot return to the past to change
events. A parent or caregiver, or parents need to play a greater role in
forging those bonds during childhood.
Observers of World Day of the Boy Child need to
remember
that not all our boys have faults or shortcomings. Some are role models for
their peers and are make us feel proud. Let us honor
those boys who have guided and protected their peers. Let us honor those boys who have scars but
ensured those wounds were healed. This healing was the crucial step to ensure
they would not destroy their future and they have become beacons of hope for
our ailing society. Let
us salute those boys who have displayed kindness and volunteerism to make this
life a better place. Let us salute our boys who are no longer misguided and
have transformed their lives.
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