Orville Taylor | Post-COVID-19 child crisis is real

Abuse and other cases of violence suffer from reporters’ bias, because the failure to reveal such acts might simply mean that there is less visibility, it is less detectable, the victims are less empowered or more fearful. Similarly, an increase in the incidents may merely mean that there is more vigilance or bravery on the part of those who suffer or are aware of it. We have a powder keg on which we are sitting and as someone is lighting a chalice to feel good.

Psychologist Georgia Rose, from The University of the West Indies, last week said that we haven’t given children time to heal from the trauma of COVID-19 and the entire set of social relations surrounding it. Not a pleasant forecast, she warned, “We will continue to see incidents of emotional dysregulation where children are acting out in violent ways …” Rose’s comments are not remarkable. Indeed, those of us in the behavioural sciences knew that we would have had to become ‘prophets of doom’ because the pandemic was like Neeko, ready to mash up our lives.

What is alarming is the number of comments by the public, which range from being incredulous to dismissive, as The Gleaner article made reference to a spate of violence among high school children, and in particular, in the western part of the country. Similar comments came my way on radio over the past few weeks as well, with a typical quote being, “Everything is COVID; unoo stop blaming COVID, dem pickney bad long time and Jamaica is simply just a violence society.” Well, if that is the comfortable response, then shelve your laxative, because if we make light of this, the consequences are going to be horrific.

In 2020, I made a presentation to one of our major financial institutions and noted that 20 per cent of households were men living alone, nine per cent were single-female homes and 18 per cent were women living with their children and no spouse. For many, the workplace was a haven to ease the tensions of home. Spending 24 hours with a partner, without the necessary ‘escape’, did major damage to many relationships, as they realised that they really didn’t like each other as much.

FRUSTRATION

For many men, who were detached and could no longer go to play football, pool or go hang out with their bredren on the corner, the frustration was immense. Lots of those men who lived alone, and with no one to muster debating skills against, lost arguments with themselves. Even my Catholic bredren of strong faith lamented that as a single man, he had to celebrate the Sunday before Easter all alone.

However, it is the children who suffered most. Of course, most children, living with their parents, probably got to enjoy more family time. True, they oftentimes forget that you are at work, despite being in your study or home office; but on the whole, it was a positive experience for families where there was not too much dysfunction.

In the minority of households with abusive parents and relatives, there was simply more opportunity for the children to be victimised. And it occurred. This is not just Jamaica. In India, a July 2022 story revealed that 25 per cent of parents admitted punishing their children more. In the USA, the number of reported child abuse cases tripled. Given the well-established statistical correlation between abuse and violent behaviour of the victim, then imagine the result in the most homicidal English-speaking country on earth.

We haven’t even yet discussed the impact of the virus on the brain of the patient, or the fact that among its 3,320 deaths were parents of now orphans or ‘halfons’. COVID-19 has left some of us 148,000 survivors with different mindsets and behaviours towards others. In recent times, patients and patience are merely homophones but not bedfellows.

ALARMED

That we lost more than 120,000 students for a while when ‘normality’ returned and now with a predicted fugue of 1,200 teachers this year, we must be alarmed. School is the place for secondary socialisation. For children, who fit the ‘at risk’ profile, school is where the Sir, epitomised by Sidney Poitier, straightens out children headed on the wrong path.

It is school, and in particular sixth form at Alpha Academy, that kept this writer away from the marauding ‘massive’ who would have wanted me to arm up as my community became garrisoned. In those formative years, I recall many conversations with Grace Barrett (now Baston and principal of Campion College) as we understood our roles as student leaders. We knew then, as we know now, that we must do what is necessary to keep our teachers from jumping ship, as we face, reportedly, the most vacancies in three decades.

The crisis is even graver, because inexperienced teachers might not have the wherewithal or stature to perform the non-curriculum proxy parenting needed in this post-COVID-19 environment.

Tikya.

Dr Orville Taylor is head of the Department of Sociology at The University of the West Indies, a radio talk-show host, and author of ‘Broken Promises, Hearts and Pockets’. Send feedback to columns@gleanerjm.com and tayloronblackline@hotmail.com.