Minister of Social Services and Community Development the Hon. Melanie Griffin.  (BIS Photo/Raymond A. Bethel, Sr.)

NASSAU, The Bahamas – The Social Crime and Violence Prevention component of the Citizens Security and Justice Programme launched Monday (May 9) by the Government of The Bahamas will further support the Ministry of Social Services and Community Development’s efforts to curb various forms of violence against children and adults (women), through the provision of educational training and prevention programmes.These interventions will include – in association with non-governmental organizations, schools and other local partners – training activities for young people, adults and local leaders to address norms that promote the acceptance of violence.

The focus will be on parenting norms to reduce violent disciplinary measures, addressing attitudes about gender that encourage domestic violence, rape risk reduction, as well as counseling and conflict resolution, all of which will be delivered at newly refurbished community centres.

“We also intend to launch school-based violence prevention activities to build conflict resolution skills; address anger management (and) foster caring, supportive relationships amongst youth,” Minister of Social Services and Community Development, the Hon. Melanie Sharon Griffin said.

“Finally, we will design youth violence interruption activities which will employ a public health approach addressing violence as a learned behaviour.

“I have said on several occasions that children subjected to violence in the home go on to become violent teens or adults. The launch of the Citizen Security and Justice Programme comes at an important time for the Ministry of Social Services and Community Development and indeed The Bahamas,” Mrs. Griffin added.

Mrs. Griffin was one of four Cabinet Ministers — whose ministries will play critical roles in the oversight of the Programme to ensure its intended impacts bear fruit — to address the launch of the Citizens Security and Justice Programme. The others included the Hon. Dr. Bernard J. Nottage  (Minister of National Security); the Hon. D. Shane Gibson (Minister of Labour, National Insurance and the Pubic Service); and Senator, the Hon. Allyson Maynard-Gibson (Attorney-General and Minister of Legal Affairs).

Dr. Nottage said the collaboration “represents the length and breadth of this government’s comprehensive strategy to address the challenges of crime” in The Bahamas.

Minister Griffin said the Ministry, through the Department of Social Services and its many partner groups, has already implemented a number of programmes aimed at reducing violence against men, women and children in The Bahamas.

She said statistics show that (in 2013) 14 per cent of all homicides were related to domestic violence, while 33 per cent of the respondents to the survey agreed that it was acceptable for a man to hit his wife/partner.

In 2011, slightly more than 10 per cent of students admitted to carrying a weapon such as a gun or knife to school. Forty-seven per cent of Bahamians responding to a survey expressed ‘worry’ about the safety of children in schools.

“Particularly worrisome are the numbers which show that one-third of respondents believe that violence towards women is acceptable and almost half of parents worry about their child’s safety while in school.

“These findings suggest that, in The Bahamas, a large number of people, both adults and children, are exposed to domestic violence and therefore suffer from the behaviours associated with victims of this type of violence.”

Mrs. Griffin said the Social Crime and Violence Prevention Component of the Citizen Security and Justice Programme will provide officials with yet another tool to continue to focus on defending the safety of children and adults from abuse and violence.

“Not only have we renewed our focus on defending the safety of children in our communities, but we have worked diligently with the National Task Force on Gender-Based Violence to draft a National Strategic Plan to address Gender-Based Violence.

“I am indeed pleased to report that the Task Force presented the National Strategic Plan to Address Gender-Based Violence to the Prime Minister on February 15, 2016. The plan has identified ten areas that can be implemented quickly to begin to address this issue.”

Minister Griffin said breaking the cycle of violence within The Bahamas begins by “equipping Bahamians with the skills to defuse violent situations, challenging norms that make our communities complicit in violent behavior; and targeting youth.

“This strategy can only work as part of a multi-sectoral approach which permits collaboration with the other ministries represented here today as well as stakeholders. I assure you that the Ministry of Social Services and Community Development stands ready to forge ahead as a team to work on this most critical area of concern,” Mrs. Griffin said.