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Last Updated: Feb 5, 2018 - 10:45:28 AM |
Minister of National Security the Hon. Marvin Dames (right) shakes hands with Rotary Club of East Nassau’s Past President Lindsey Cancino, as current President Hope Sealy looks on, after the Minister’s address of the club’s regular meeting on the topic “National Security Strategies for Peace and Conflict Resolution” at Nassau Yacht Club, on February 2, 2018. (BIS Photo/Eric Rose)
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NASSAU, The Bahamas – Minister of National Security the Hon. Marvin Dames, said as it related to gangs and gang violence, his Ministry has partnered with Dr. David Allen and his team of experts of the ‘People Helping People’ programme.
“Dr. Allen described one of the causes of violence as the Social Fragmentation Process which he explained is manifested through revenge, which results in the disintegration of the family, and the development of youth gangs and violence,” Minister Dames said at a meeting of the Rotary Club of East Nassau, at the Nassau Yacht Club on Friday.
Since nearly 50 per cent of murders involve conflict, our intervention in the lives of troubled young males in particular is targeted to prevent them from becoming socially fragmented from society,” he added. “Dr. Allen’s programme ideally extends into our schools and will also focus on the myriad of issues facing our youngsters including bullying and cyber bullying.”
Turning to domestic violence, Minister Dames pointed out that his Ministry was partnering with Dr. Sandra Dean-Patterson of the Crisis Centre, where many programmes are in place to address domestic violence matters in the country along with those he mentioned before from the Citizen Security and Justice Programme.
“Another proactive approach that your Government has undertaken to keep peace in our communities is the establishment of an inter-ministerial committee consisting of National Security, Ministers of Labour, Education, Youth Sports & Culture, Social Services, Public Works, and the Attorney General to address crime challenges and bring greater degree of focus to causes of crime,” he said.
“Ladies and gentlemen, turning understanding into action is the challenge and requires all stakeholders, all Bahamians to play an individual role to reduce the scourge of crime,” Minister Dames noted. “I also invite the think tanks especially the University of The Bahamas: The sociologists, psychologists, anthropologists, and many others to assist us in researching and identifying the social elements that contribute to the root cause of criminal activity from a scientific perspective devoid of any partisan involvement so that together we may to formalise additional strategies to see how they can be adapted to The Bahamas.”
Minister Dames reassured those in attendance that the Government considers crime a serious threat to The Bahamas' national security, economic development, and social way of life.
“We will not succumb to the fear of crime and we will vigorously pursue all avenues to address how conflicts are handled in our society, starting at our primary grade levels, to address this national dilemma and restore a level of peace and tranquility to our communities and neighbourhoods,” he said.
“You can look forward to the Government announcing more new initiatives as we look for your total support and cooperation.”
© Copyright 2018 by thebahamasweekly.com
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