Minister of People Empowerment and Elder Affairs, Cynthia Forde (right), with (from left) The Right Reverend Michael Maxwell, Anglican Bishop of Barbados; Registrar of the Supreme Court, Barbara Cooke-Alleyne; Suleiman Bulbulia of the Barbados Muslim Association; and Canon Noel Burke, Chairman of the Barbados Christian Council, during the National Consultation on Crime and Violence.
A number of stakeholders who are critical in the fight against crime, sought to put their heads together to commence dialogue on the development of a social response to the troubling crime situation in Barbados.
They did so at a National Consultation on Crime and Violence, which was held yesterday at the Lloyd Erskine Sandiford Centre.
Whilst delivering the feature address at the event, Minister of People Empowerment and Elder Affairs, Cynthia Forde, stressed the need for targeted interventions and solutions to curb the vexatious issue of crime and violence and in particular gun violence, noting that an increase in this area can retard progress in other areas.
“For some time now, crime and violence have been vexatious issues that confront us as a nation and we know it is confronting the rest of the world, but we have to break for Barbados first and together.
So disturbing are crime and violence, they are now considered public health threats to small island developing states such as ours,” Minister Forde remarked.
“The World Bank, in a recent report, informed that crime and violence is not only impeding economic growth, but stymies human welfare and hinders social development. Further, it informs that violent crimes are undoubtedly a development issue, having direct and immediate effects on human development in the short-term and on economic growth and development in the long-term,” she added.
“Historians in particular and those in the realm of academia often reflect on our sordid past and blame particularly our history and geography for the socio-economic ills, hence they conclude that whatever gains we have realised through independence, are being erased and our national sovereignty and governance threatened. The net effects are increased poverty, higher crime rates, and growing insecurity and corruption,” Forde asserted.
Acknowledging that at the heart of the crime and violence is the drug trade, Forde noted that efforts to curb the trade must be pursued with vigour, since violent crime also negatively impacts business and investment.
As such, Forde said, “It is my opinion that for crime to be removed for the landscape of our island, there is need for a cohesive, holistic, innovative and integrated approach. For this goal to be realised, the crime preventive measures which you recommend must of necessity address not only economic development, but good governance and the rule of law has to be included in all your discussions.”
The gathering meanwhile received presentations on the current status of crime in Barbados from Deputy Commissioner of Police, Erwin Boyce; an analysis of the crime situation in Barbados from Director of the Criminal Justice Research Unit, Cheryl Willoughby; crime and violence as a threat to public health from Dr. Patrice Lawrence Williams, Advisor, Non-Communicable Diseases at PAHO; poverty reduction initiatives from Andrew Pollard, Project Officer in Minister Forde’s ministry; and also social perspectives on crime in Barbados from sociologist Richard Carter, before breaking out into groups to develop a Social Response Plan of Action. (RSM)