Monday, 29th April 2013 (North Side, Anguilla)—For many months, I have not written any articles on the social conditions in our island community. Thoughts have swirled throughout my mind that I wanted to write about. Yet I have not felt inspired to put them into the written word until I became personally involved with something that happened recently.
The incidents of violence amongst our youths have compelled me to document in writing events that transpired during the past couple of weeks. It is my intention that these words will motivate other persons to speak out. And I hope we all will work together developing better ways to address the social illsemotionally touching our nation’s people.
Bullying and acts of violence in schools
Much to my dismay, we have had several more acts of bullying and violence perpetrated between students at the Albena Lake Hodge Comprehensive School. The incident that I wish to address in this article is one that occurred between two 12-year old boys in First Form. (To protect the privacy of the children, parents and teachers, names of the persons involved will not be revealed.)
According to my investigative work, an altercation happenedbetween the boys during lunch hour on Wednesday, 17th April 2013.Thebrutal attack of one child against anotherhit close to homefor me because I am well acquainted with one of the children. He is the son of family friends. I’ve known him from a young agesince he attended The Valley Primary School. Both of the boys were schoolmates then and supposedly are related to each other.(Though being relatives does not dismiss the brutality of the act committed.) From what I have been told, the boy who was beaten up used to watch out for the other childwhen they were at primary school and would not allow other students to mess with him.
You may wonder why I call this altercation a “brutal attack”. It is because the boy who did the beating first hit the other boy in the eye, then continued to punch him in the head whilst he lay on the ground. In my opinion, that is an act of sheer violence. What caused him to react in such a manner? I do not know. Did other students prompt him to pound on the boy? Did his peers encourage him to beat the boy to a pulp? Or was he acting out because of the kind of treatment that he has received from or seen in others?
We were told that there were teachers upstairs who called down to the boy to stop. As it was reported, neither the teachers nor the boys and girls watching the beating went to the aid of boy on the ground. No one attempted to physically restrain the boy who was doing the beating. These were 12-year old boys who are small in stature, not big in size.So why didn’t anyone try to pull him off the child he was brutalising? What does it say about us as human beings, in our society, if we see an act of brutality and do nothing about it? Have we become that de-sensitised to not carewhat happens to our fellowman, woman or child?
The mother of the boy (the aggressor) with whom I spoke said he does not behave that way at home. However,it seems there ought to have been some previous signs of this type of misbehaviour.Didn’t parents, aunts, uncles, teachers or other individuals notice the child acting out in inappropriate ways before this violent outburst occurred? Was anything done to counsel the child to help him change deviant types of behaviour?
Even though only one boy instigated the situation, both of the boys are victims. One child is left with serious damage to his eye.The other youth has to face repercussions for his aggressive actions.Ultimately,this case could become a matter for the court to handle. Perhaps the aggressor will end up being confined to the juvenile detention centre.What alternatives are there to assist this child?
Solutions and suggestions for addressing the problems
Whatever happens, we must do our best to find the source of the child’s problems and work with him to improve himself and his behaviour – how he reacts in certain situations. If further incidents occur, they could have a much worse outcome.
Lashing the boy who beat up the other child, or suspending him from school, will not solve the problem. Whatever is going on lies deep within the child. Professional counselling must be sought for both boys and their parents. Teachers must be briefed about the situation. Students must be told of the incident in assembly and given a talk by guidance counsellors on what to do in similar situations should they be confronted.Teaching our children the coping skills of dealing effectively with life’s challenges, whether at home or in school, is essential to their being healthy and whole human beings who function well in society.
What can we do to rectify the situation, and how can we address the concerns of the students, parents and teachers who were involved?We must dig deep to the root cause and find out what are the underlying reasons for this type of behaviour (or “acting out” as some would call it). Violence and bullying are serious matters that continue to plague not only the villages in our island community, but also communities throughout the globe.
It seems that many persons, whether young or old, have become de-sensitised as to how they treat other human beings and God’s living creatures. Just take a look at the programmes showing violence on television or read what is reported daily in the news. May be doing as my parents did when we were young – monitoring what we read, watched and whom we associated with – is wise practice in dealing with the youth of today.
We need to work diligently with our children – teaching them how to deal with life’s circumstances in much less destructive ways. As well, we must pray for divine intervention to guide, protect and watch over the children whether they are at school or in the home.
Speak out, counsel and guide the young people who come into your lives. Seek to uncover the source of the negative emotions that they feel (like anger, anxiety, stress and depression). Find the real reasons triggering their feelings and behaviour. Help them to develop constructive ways to resolve conflict and release pent up emotions that anyone of us is capable of building up inside ourselves.
Remember whenever you witness such heinous crimes that being committed to intervene will help stop the perpetuation of violence. If you fear getting involved personally, then call on local law enforcement or the proper authorities to come to aid. Don’t wait until it is to too late and a young person loses his or her life.
Conclusion
The questions asked, and the solutions and suggestions presented in this article, are written to get us to think, to reflect, and to contemplate our own actions and to bring forth positive changes within ourselves and society. Find ways that you too can contribute to resolving these dilemmas.
(Kay M. Ferguson is a creative and professional writer who feels compelled to speak out regarding social issues that are prevalent in our island community.)
