Talkback Friday

A four-year-old girl is the latest casualty of a fatal end to a domestic dispute. We asked our followers if they think there are sufficient intervention programmes to address the issue of domestic violence in Jamaica.

“Not exactly sure what is meant by intervention programmes. But on a whole, Jamaicans need a change in the culture that surrounds social niceties. Good manners. Understanding of what the word respect’ really entails. The only intervention programmes I know are the ones preventing us from cutting the chains of our colonial past and building a Jamaica for the future and all Jamaicans.”

– Rusty O Dread

“Be reminded, you cannot press charges without the other party’s consent. You can’t help someone who doesn’t want help.”

– Joelle Brown

“Intervention programmes in Jamaica? I’m curious to see what that entails. Anyway, Jamaica has serious violence issues. start from that and move upwards. The Jamaican man just doesn’t hate/kill females, he hates/kills everyone equally.”

– Brandon Hill

“Definitely not enough intervention programmes, thus resulting in a lot of deaths.”

– Ann-Marie Duff

Talk about intervention programme after the horse is already gone through the gate! Too late, man. It’s really hard, I tell you.”

– Anna Maria

“The intervention needed is that of a whole change of attitude towards domestic abuse. Until the society sees it differently, nothing will really change.”

– Dreenie RJ

“It’s going to get worse. Because mothers are not doing a good job of bringing up their boys. I’m sorry to say this, but it’s the truth. A lot of the mothers know who [are] doing the killing. But they are saying, I love my son. We can’t have it both ways. It will take a generation to fix, if we start now.”

– Anthony Fagan

“If u man a beat u and u go station, sometimes the police dem tell u fi go home to u man who a beat u; it is not being taken seriously enough in Jamaica, I believe.”

– Sherril James

“There is absolutely no intervention program that can alleviate Jamaica’s domestic violence. Our DNA is a healthy mixture of barbarism and love.”

– Robbie Black

“A law needs to be passed that once domestic abuse is evident, then action will be taken. Sometimes the victims are too scared to press charges.”

– Debra Hamilton