The organization that started the National Youth Parliament yesterday launched a programme aimed at preventing youth crimes.
The programme is to take the form of crime reporting, youth patrols, drug education, conflict resolution, mediation, peer and cross-age teaching and action projects and the security services will play a role in meeting these objectives. Organisers of the Guyana Youth Development Association programme will target schools and community groups where in some instances youths will receive training and be part of action programmes which should result in curbing crimes involving youths.
Its main focus is to engage young people as stakeholders in the prevention of crime with specific emphasis on school and community, as well as countering violence and substance abuse. Its mission statement said it is structured to give youths an opportunity to lead a productive, law abiding and peaceful life for the overall social and economic benefit of Guyana.
And while extending his ministry’s overwhelming support for the programme, Home Affairs Minster Clement Rohee expressed his disappointment at the structure of the current community action component of the US$22M Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) Citizens Security Programme, saying that some of the funds could be better dedicated to initiatives such as these.
Rohee explained that US$3M has been dedicated towards that component but mostly covers consultancy and workshop sessions which government does not agree with. Rohee said he has since requested that the money instead be spent on providing skills training for youths so that they could become gainfully employed, particularly since investors would be setting up enterprise here and would need personnel.
He said government wanted the programme to be redefined but this had met with some resistance from the IDB who have conceded that negotiations would have to take place.
“We’re insisting that since we live here we know the needs and we don’t mind getting into negotiations but at the end of the day it has to be done the way we want it because we have a lot of unemployed youths.
And this is one organization that could benefit from these resources,” he said.
Rohee further proposed that once the community action component programme was refashioned, government would ensure that there is a place for the Youth Crime Watch of Guyana programme.
Rohee, in praising the programme noted that it was the first of its kind to which he has been invited to give remarks and noted that there was no small or too big a contribution that youths could make towards dealing with the matter of youth involvement in crime.
To this end the minister pointed out that the established criminal networks were preying on and looking for youths to bring them into their groups. The minister recounted a recent offence committed by a Queen’s College student. The matter has since been settled and the teen was released on bail and the teen’s family proposed monetary compensation in the sum of $100,000 to the victim who accepted.
The student, armed with a handgun, had reportedly robbed a taxi driver of his cash and jewellery. “What was it that led him to do that? He found out where he could get a firearm to buy, got the money and purchased it and had it in his home for two months and then committed a crime,” Rohee said.
Against this background the minister said it was important that youths be informed and educated about the consequences of their involvement in these types of activities. He said he believed that together much could be done to stop youths from getting involved in drug trafficking and aiding criminal activities by being lookouts. He added that Youth Crime Watch of Guyana can play a leading role.
Rohee also pledged his ministry’ support in ensuring that the organization is successful in its endeavours.
The organization was given a kick start back in 2004 but had not been able to work towards any of its objectives owing to financial constraints, Kwame McCoy stated in his presentation on the scope of the programme.
He disclosed that President Bharrat Jagdeo had donated some $3M to the group.
