By Demella Dalton Observer Staff Member
(Charlestown, Nevis) – Violence and crime today have increased in the Federation over these past years. Many persons were able to speak about crime, but in many cases, young people were not heard from. An Observer Staff Member
was given the opportunity to speak to a number of young Nevisians about their views on crime. The eight respondents ranged in age from 17-20 and three were males, and five females. The Observer did not require the respondents to give their names for publication. The responses are below: Observer Q: What effect does the crime today have on you? Respondent 1: Well it is making me more afraid to leave my house at night with all the violence around. Observer Q: Does it have any other bad effect on you? Respondent 1: Not really. Observer Q: What do you want to see happen? Respondent 1: More law enforcements and more officers at work and less violence and deaths. Observer Q: Does the change in the society have any effect on your education? Respondent 1: No. — Observer Q: What effect does crime today have on you? Respondent 2: It no really has no effect on me. Observer Q: Does it have any other bad effect on you, like violence? Respondent 2: Yes. It makes me more conscious of where I go and what I do. Observer Q: What do you want to see happen? Respondent 2: To see the people change to be peaceful again. Observer Q: Does the change in the society have any effect on your education? Respondent 2: No. — Observer Q: What effect does crime today have on you? Respondent 3: The society has a somewhat negative impact on me due to the fact that there is so many crimes around it make me feel unsafe and insecure about leaving my house. Observer Q: Does it have any other bad effect on you? Respondent 3: Not really. Observer Q: What do you want to see happen? Respondent 3: I want to see police office doing their jobs and go into sections of the community where crime is most prone to happening. They should also be down at the beaches when there is action because many vehicles are down there as you can see. There as been an increased rate in robbery. Observer Q: Does the change in the society have any effect on your education? Respondent 3: No I am no longer a part of this education system. — Observer Q: What effect does the society today have on you? Respondent 4: Violence no affect me, it affects the society, Mostly with the youths them. Observer Q: Okay. How do you think it affects them? Respondent 4: Well sometimes it does make them grow up to do what they see, like smoking and so. Observer Q: Okay. You”re trying to say violence influences the youths to imitate the gang members and doing what they do? Respondent 4: Well it’s just shows the more time change, people do too. — Observer Q: What effect does crime today have on you and does the change in the society have any effect on your life? How does violence affect u as a human being? Respondent 5: Society has an impact on every living individual’s life. However it is mostly a positive impact, for instance the improvement of infrastructure, the decrease in unemployment, etc.” Violence however disgusts me.” Imagine seeing our youth dying over the most petty of things and young children losing their fathers over gang violence and ridiculous shootings. It couldn’t have come at a worse time (CULTURAMA).” People expect to walk out of their houses and enjoy the queen shows and the festivities and instead you hear murmurs of not wanting to stay home, and fear in struck into many locals because they are terrified of losing their lives. Observer Q: How does violence affect u as a human being? Respondent 5: Well clearly you know the youths, they a die mostly and for me to be a youth – it’s kinda hard check cause violence is a very dangerous thing and people who doing it should be decapitated – just kidding – but at least some kind of a punishment. You can’t go certain places because is either you kill or be killed and if you managed so see someone killed and you a witness is like they threaten you to keep your mouth shut. — Observer Q: What effect does crime have on you? Respondent 6: In terms of crime and violence it has a negative impact because it leaves some people living in fear and others would be joining gangs and causing excess trouble and this may occur from peer pressure. However, different societies have counseling units or religious (Christian) centers where they counseling young people turning their minds from doing evil things such as drugs and alcohol. Observer Q: What do you want to see happen? Respondent 6: Less young men especially on the streets liming. Jobs should be offered. Tutoring, encouraging young people to stay out of trouble, In terms of teenage pregnancy warn them about it in the earliest so they’ll know what to expect. Observer Q: Does the change in the society have any effect on your education? Respondent 6: It depends, because if a schoolchild is involved in drugs/ alcohol or get pregnant, there’s a possibility they’ll get kicked out of school, which might increase the rate of poverty and crime because no education means no job, no money to provide and take care there self then they will turn to stealing. — Observer Q: what effect does crime today have on you and does the change in the society have any effect your on life. How does violence affect you as a human being? Respondent 7: Well, violence in Nevis is affecting me because I have a little child and I don’t want to leave her and these people don’t care when it comes around gang fighting and so on. Suppose now, myself and child go out and something starts up and I get shot now? That is why I don’t like violence. — Observer Q: What effect does crime today have on you? Respondent 8: In the case of violence, it has a negative effect on me. Observer Q: Does it have any other bad effect on you? Respondent 8: No Observer Q: What do you want to see happen? Respondent 8: I want to see all these crimes stopped. Observer Q: Does the change in the society have any effect on your education? Respondent 8: Yes, it does because school children watch and do what they are seeing in the community and then come to school and start trouble and fights, which then delays or disrupts an important lesson which was to be learned.
