The Intersection of Gender, Culture and Education: Jamaica: The Next 50 Years!

“The behavior of a human being in sexual matters is often a prototype for the whole of his other modes of reaction in life.”- Sigmund Freud. It is rather unfortunate that in the Jamaican society sexual health is not widely spoken about through official channels. As a result this lends itself to numerous myths and misconceptions regarding one’s sexual health. To a great extent sexual health is grounded in oral traditions. Our boys receive their sex education from the elders on the street corner. Regrettably, oftentimes the information being passed down by the older folks is not grounded in scientific principles. This becomes problematic in a society which glorifies hyper-and toxic masculinities. Numerous Jamaican males are profoundly scarred from forced sexual encounters during childhood. Many parents, especially fathers are supportive towards their son’s early sexual initiation. The popular belief is the earlier a boy has sexual intercourse with a female the higher the probability he...

“Juneteenth has never been a celebration of victory or an acceptance of the way things are. It’s a celebration of progress. It’s an affirmation that despite the most painful parts of our history, change is possible and there is still so much work to do.”- Barack Obama. Racial tension continues to dominate post slavery societies in The Americas a century and a half after the abolition of slavery. In many spaces in the United States of America a racist and calculated campaign is currently being waged to erase the history, achievements and culture of the African Americans. The constant attack on the black culture reminds us that the struggle concerning civil rights is far from over. The war on the black culture should serve as a catalyst for succeeding generations regarding their awesome responsibility to push back on the divisive counter culture. Juneteenth is therefore the prefect springboard to mobilize that next generation of freedom and civil rights advocates to ensure that the gai...

It is rather unfortunate and prejudiced that the narrative concerning spousal abuse, or intimate partner violence always seems to come from the reference point that men are the abusers. While statistics indicate that more women are victims of domestic abuse; the society should acknowledge that men, too, are victims of domestic violence. The fact that spousal abuse continues to be viewed through gender- specific lenses instead of gender- neutral lenses is problematic. Whereas there are numerous avenues for women who are in abusive relationship, the avenues for men to receive support are limited. Given that there are many non-governmental organizations (NGO’s) that give both practical and psycho-social support for women in abusive relationships; the same cannot be said about men. It is commendable that the government has established a number of shelters across the island for women who have emerged from abusive relationships and who require short term living accommodation, yet there are ...

“I call upon Governments and all concerned actors to design and carry out more effective prevention strategies and stronger laws and policies to address all aspects of elder abuse.”- Former UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon. In many parts of the world elder abuse occurs with little acknowledgment or response. According to the World Health Organization (WHO) 1 in 6 people over 60 years of age suffer from abuse. Alarmingly, nearly 141 million people globally are impacted by elder abuse. It is widely believed that this number may be much higher as neglect, abuse and violence of older people are among the most hidden and underrepresented violations of human rights. The United Nations (UN) defines elder abuse as a single, or repeated act, or lack of appropriate action, occurring within any relationship where there is an expectation of trust which causes harm or distress to an older person. It is a global social issue which affects the health and human rights of millions of older persons aro...

“Children should have pens in their hands not tools.” - Iqbal Masih. We have all seen school- aged boys and girls at various intersections across the island wiping the windscreens of cars and or selling wares, however, many of us are far removed from these realities that so many of our fellow human beings experience on a daily basis. In some instances there is disbelief that so many abuses and atrocities are meted out on a daily basis to those who are marginalized and living in poverty. Due to the economic realities being faced by numerous families it has become rather common to hear of teenage boys dropping out of school as a sort of duty in order to find employment to take care of their mothers and younger siblings. It is true that governments alone cannot solve all the social ills of any society; nevertheless, governments have a guiding role in terms of setting policies to help in reducing many of the issues we continue to grapple with as a society. Globally, governments have not d...

“Jamaican citizens should know that they have a constitutional right to the privacy of their personal data and the Data Protection Act entitles them to determine whether and how their personal data is processed.”- Celia Barclay, Information Commissioner. In an era of social media frenzy and the proliferation of various social media platforms almost everyone has become a photojournalist. The abuse of personal data is oftentimes compromised even with the best of intentions. Unfortunately, no one asks permission anymore to take your picture; instead what we have is a culture that does not respect the privacy of others. The wanton disregard of one’s privacy has now crept into the education system. Is it fair to say that as servants of the data controller teachers are now expected to go beyond the normal? And if so, to what extent would this be in conflict with legislative frameworks that are in place to safeguard the privacy rights of the child. Even in instances where the faces of stud...

“People just couldn’t understand why this country and its army, the People’s Army would slaughter its own people, the Beijing citizens.”- Zhou Fengsuo, Former Student Leader. China clearly wants the international community to forget about the Tiananmen Square Massacre which took place in June of 1989. However, there are some global events which we should never forget and this ranks high on that list. China thrives on a diet of censorship, but even so the truth cannot be erased. Perhaps we will never know how many people were murdered by the Chinese Government in Tiananmen Square in 1989 but we must now be the voice of those students who were silenced. It is always fascinating that a country as powerful as China is afraid to grant its own people freedom to express their views and opinions. Origins of the Protest . In spring 1989, there was a visible increase in protests in China as the protestors demanded greater political freedom. Protesters were spurred on by the death of a leading...

“The bicycle is an instrument of sustainable transportation and has a positive impact on climate.”- United Nations. There was a time when the popular mode of transportation was the bicycle. During that golden era no one was overweight or obese. In fact, hypertension was not so common in the population. As the international community inches towards a world operated by Artificial Intelligence many of us are contented with our sedentary lifestyles. The truth is we all like and welcome the trappings of modernity. Unfortunately, this comes at a high price of ill-health. This sedentary lifestyle is characterized with little or no physical activity. In fact, physical inactivity is responsible for a host of Non-Communicable Diseases (NCD’s) such as hypertension, cancer and diabetes. According to the World Health Organization (WHO) Global Action Plan on Physical Activity 2018–2030, physical activity has multiplicative health, social and economic benefits, and investment in policy actions to...

“Coral reefs occupy less than 1 percent of the ocean floor; yet they are home to more than 25 percent of marine life. Human activity and a warming planet are rapidly degrading these precious and fragile ecosystems.” - United Nations Environment Programme. Many of us take the coral reefs for granted. This nonchalant attitude to the coral reefs is not purposeful but due to the fact that we do not encounter coral reefs very often. Additionally, there is not much public education regarding the importance of coral reefs to our environment. Each year World Reef Day is observed on June 1st. The day is set aside to engage in public education concerning how we can all take action in our everyday lives for the betterment of our oceans and coral reefs. Earth.org states that a coral reef is a colony of hundreds of thousands of individual animals called coral polyps. These form when free-swimming coral larvae get attached to rocks or other hard surfaces underwater, mainly along the coastlines...