Registrar: Concern about bad girls
MORE GIRLS are getting caught up in deviant behaviour and ending up in court. So said Registrar of the Supreme Court, Barbara Cooke- Alleyne, yesterday during the launch of the 11th annual In The Winners’ Circle programme at New Dimensions Ministries, Barbarees Hill, St Michael.
The programme is aimed at pupils who recently completed the Common Entrance Examination and seeks to help them deal with the challenges they may encounter in the transition from primary to secondary school. Cooke-Alleyne said statistics between 2017 and 2018 showed that more girls were getting involved in violent crime. “In 2017 the popular charge for a girl would have been wandering, wounding, serious bodily harm, theft and cursing the police. While for boys, we have assault, serious bodily harm and wounding.
“In 2018, [there] was an amazing change, particularly for the girls. We realise that wandering is no longer a top charge for girls in Barbados. It’s assault, occasioning bodily harm.” The Registrar said it was an unfortunate situation, adding that many of the girls who came to the court were experiencing domestic violence at home. “They’re seeing their parents quarrelling and fighting and then they’re acting it out at school and other environments.
“We recognise that a lot of our young people also have attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and some are truly depressed. It’s more the girls than the boys who are depressed.
Girls abused
“Reports also show that girls have a high percentage of being abused in the household as opposed to the boys. The shift we are seeing now is a grave concern.” Cooke-Alleyne said this was why she believed the programme was a timely one it would teach those students about conflict resolution. “We will be looking at topics like bullying, drug abuse and much as more. We are going to show you that you have options and choices. We want to change how our young ladies behave in the society. Make sure those girls fighting on Facebook and WhatsApp is not one of you,” she told the students present.
This year the programme has gone national thanks to sponsorship from The Maria Holder Memorial Trust. Project coordinator Joel Manning said this year’s programme was able to invite all 3500 students who sat the exam.
The two-week interactive programme started yesterday and runs to May 28. It will cover topics such as Bullying And Conflict Resolution, Peer Pressure, Wandering, Substance Abuse, Your Body And You and Self-Esteem. (DB)
Article take from the DAILY NATION, TUESDAY, 14 MAY 2019.