Ethon Lowe | Jamaica: A country predisposed to violence

June 23 was observed as a National Day of Mourning for children who have been victims of violence and abuse. According to the Jamaica Constabulary Force, in 2022, more than 1,800 children were victims of murder and sexual offences, including rape. The murder of Danielle Rowe heightened the level of brutality. A UNICEF study shows that 80 per cent of Jamaican children experience violence at home.

Let’s not forget our women. Jamaica has the second-highest rate of femcide (killing of females because of her gender) in the world, according to Caribbean Policy Research Institute (July 2022) and also one of the highest incidences of rapes – an estimated 15-21.3 per 100,000.

Enough of statistics.

On a stroll through one of our towns, you will likely encounter domestic conflict, which a regular occurrence, flavoured by the exchange of some choice Jamaican bad words and ear-splitting boom boxes. Sauntering on the road, you run the risk of being mowed down by those ubiquitous almost homicidal taxi drivers speeding recklessly to get more passengers (more passengers, more money – we get it). So, here’s another statistic (sorry). Jamaica (in my opinion) is one of the most unndisciplined country in the world, and with indiscipline comes crime and violence.

The way children are treated will of course determine the kind of adults they become. In their early days in school apart from learning the three R’s – reading, ‘riting and ‘rithmitic – they should learn to build character, develop inquiring minds, and learn civic obligations in their communities. But in Jamaica, indiscipline starts early. Violence among students, students against teachers, and even parents against teachers. Gangs in the community wait with open arms to recruit delinquent students. Here’s another statistic: Jamaica, with 2.8 million people, has 400 gangs (Dr Horace Chang, minister of national security, in 2020). Haiti, by comparison, with 11.65 million people, has 200 gangs in January 2023.

STILL HOPE

But there’s still hope for young, innocent minds. Nowhere in our culture is there an institution that can more deeply serve the needs of our maturity than the home. The home helps build character, instils affection, teaches responsibility and most importantly – self-control. Ever since St Augustine prayed “Lord make me chaste, but not yet!” individuals have struggled with self-control. We are all confronted with threats. People with weak self-control are more likely to retaliate with acts of violence. Being insulted, jealous and frustrated, we are not immune to the temptation to come to blows, but with self-control we can resist. It also allows self-restraint and the postponement of immediate gratification, which would lead to self-harm. Alas, Jamaica is riddled with dysfunctional homes. Children are victimised, beaten, sexually abused, and they become victimisers and aggressors themselves. The scourge of fatherless boys is rampant. Who are their role models? Boys growing up without fathers are more likely to be aggressive, drop out of school, addicted to drugs or end up in prison. They easily fall prey to bad influence and gangs.

Do children learn violence from their role models in their family or their heroes on television and dancehall. Consider the lyrics, courtesy of Mavado “neva know, so mi AK stay....head buss like bomb bay, kill dat inna church when di pastor a pray, murder yuh likkle bredda pon di funeral, cut di new born throat cause yuh know mi nuh”. Studies from North American Journal of Medicine and Science 2010 show that graphic lyrical content in music can impact adolescents sexual and violent behaviour. Oher studies concluded that exposure has little or no impact. I disagree.

What about guns? Guns surely make it easier for people to kill. Nonetheless, people do not automatically kill one another just because they have access to guns. The Israelis and Swiss are armed to the teeth, but have low rates of gun crimes; and among American states, Maine and North Dakota have the lowest homicide rates, but almost every home has a gun.

NOT A DISEASE

Some researchers chant the mantra that “violence is a public health problem”, as if it were a contagious or mental disease. It’s not a disease in the medical sense. Certainly, some individuals are constitutionally (genetically) more prone to violence than others. Men kill more than women. The lion’s share of killers are young men between the ages of 15 and 30. They tend to have a distinctive personality profile – impulsive, low intelligence, hyperactive, attention deficit, easily angered and vindictive. Our chimpanzee cousins prepared us for violence (they have 96 per cent of our genes and are the most aggressive mammal), and let’s not forget the hormone testosterone on dominance and violence. Statistics would indicate that Jamaicans are predisposed to violence, and its worth mentioning that they may possess genes arising from pugnacious ancestors (slaves from war-like tribes).

Jamaica’s social ills of poverty, unemployment, social instability and economic inequality which predispose to violence are not unique in the world, yet other countries are less violent. So, what’s wrong with our people. After all, people are the perpetrators, not the country. A cursory glance at an acquaintance known to be a troublemaker in your community may offer a clue as to his potential to be violent. Is he greedy or power hungry, willing to use short-term or illegal methods to acquire money? Does he have high self-esteem which makes him more susceptible to ego threats by punishing the critic, thus boosting his ego and establishing his dominance? Last, he may enjoy sadistic pleasures. For most people, violent impulses are typically restrained by inner inhibitions and self-control. Self-control may fail because upbringing and socialisation have not made it strong enough, or because the Jamaican culture tells people that it is appropriate to lose control.

Dr Ethon Lowe is a medical doctor. Send feedback to ethonlowe@gmail.com.