Safety month in schools, bullying, oral sex and such ...........

Missing kids continue to make the news, coaster minibuses continue to be sex shops on four wheels even without tinted windows, schools have now become war zones with some resulting in deaths within the last few months are disturbing to say the least. The matter of paedohilia continue to hit close to the gay community as members of the public misconstrue adult consenting gays initiating young boys to battyism are just impediments to proper dialogue and reaching tolerance.

The Ministry of Education launched Safety in Schools in a service today March 6th where the main sermon in a service broadcast on radio spoke to all of the above and more to include the responsibility of parents and leaders in society. Safety in schools doesn't just begin or reside in the precinct of a school but also from home and how parents rear children while boys and girls increasingly carry knives in the name of defending themselves, they form gangs or cliques to ward of rival groups for one reason or another with sex being the main reasons sometimes for the fall outs. Same gender loving youth apart from enduring bullying from other students suffer pressure at home as well from other siblings and parents leading to displacement in some instances, then there are those who use sex as relief from such problems indulging in teleiophilic behaviour yearning to experience gay sex with an adult also is not helping much, either the adults who ought to know better just use these curious teens for sex the discard them a practice glaringly operating openly in the mainstream as referred to in the opening line of this post with the teenage girls in sexual liaisons with bus conductors and loaders on bashment coaster buses plus the infamous no panty days. where female students literally wear no underwear.

A recent incident also suggest there is same gender loving activity in that grouping as well

The Ministry of Health proudly speaks of the National Vision 2030 that was a part of the Jamaica Labour Party's campaign and vision. In part in reads:

As a united family at home and abroad, we commit to a vision in which:

• we ensure equitable access to modern education and training appropriate to the
needs of each person and the nation

• we provide quality and timely healthcare for the mental, physical and emotional
well-being of our people

• our children and our children’s children can continue to enjoy the unique
environmental and cultural treasures of our island home

• we seek out and support the entrepreneurial talents of our people

• we create prosperity through the sustainable use of resources and access to
innovative technology in our urban and rural communities

• we provide full access to efficient and reliable infrastructure and services

• we are the premier destination to visit and do business

• we hold to, and build on, those positive core values and attitudes that have made
us distinctly Jamaican

• we resolve conflicts through dialogue and mediation

• we treat each other with respect and dignity

• we all have a meaningful voice in the decision-making of our country

• we create a safe and secure society

• we know our rights and responsibilities and stand equal before the
law.

We especially seek to create a secure future for our vulnerable population
in ensuring that:

• each child has equal opportunity to develop their full potential through access
to the best care, affection and protection

• our youth are empowered to contribute meaningfully in building and
strengthening the communities to which they belong

• our elderly and persons with disabilities are fully integrated within society, have
access to appropriate care and support services and are treated as valuable
human resources

• no one falls into, or remains in poverty for lack of adequate support.
“One love, one heart, one Jamaica”

ENDS

Great words and ideals to aspire to but with a Charter of Rights excluding same gender loving people's rights recognised, we've always had trouble implementing things after nice announcements in this country, a society that vilifies homosexuality but what happens privately is another matter, political parties whose representatives who are our representatives publicly tow the "Not in My Cabinet" line but reminders of real life come to the fore in that of the recent detention of a Jamaica Labour Party Councillor Caretaker for of all things Buggery then we are in one hypocritical bubble that will soon burst as all bubbles do. A recent Star News article proves exactly the problems in schools of sexual based actions by prepubescent boys who are accused of forcing another boy to perform oral sex on them. A question posed elsewhere was could it be experimentation or early signs of homosexual behaviours that will emerge later in life?

The answer came as no but it's bullying which ought to have been managed better by the schools leadership and administration, a matter that recently was a major issue in the United States.

The story in the Star News published February 28th read:

ORAL SEX DRAMA AT SCHOOL - Students busted for lewd act in classroom

A male student from a high school in Manchester was reportedly beaten by his male friends at the school after he and a female schoolmate were reportedly caught having oral sex inside a classroom.

THE STAR was informed that the incident took place last Wednesday and has since become the talk of the town.

"Me get a likkle news that dem ketch two likkle pickney inna the classroom a sex ... dem seh a all the while dem do it," a resident from the parish told THE STAR.
Another resident who claimed to have heard about the incident explained to THE STAR that, "him and the girl did a do it ... but you know seh man bun dem thing deh," which resulted in the boy being assaulted.

When contacted, the vice-principal of the school in question was tight-lipped about the matter and offered only a brief statement. "From time to time, the students say things but I don't want to comment sir," she remarked.

The Area Three police confirmed that they were aware of an incident at the school but emphasised that an investigation would have to be conducted.

ENDS

for the principal to simply rebuff the question about the action(s) taken shows clearly how taboo this subject is even in a school setting where some levelheadedness ought to be present when dealing with such delicate matters.

also see: Experimental Sex Again? from GLBTQ Jamaica (blogger)

Early Sexual Initiation and Lack of Perceived Risk Put Youth at Risk

According to the Jamaica Reproductive Health Survey of 2002-2003, among youth ages 15 to 24, the mean age at first sexual intercourse was 13.5 among young men and 15.8 among young women.
In a 2001 survey of more than 1,000 adolescents, 73.7 percent of 15-19 year olds and 9.5 percent of 10-14 year olds reported being sexually active.

In the same survey, while 86 percent acknowledge pregnancy and STIs as risks of unprotected sex, only 12.6 percent viewed themselves personally at risk. Knowing this the surprise in the case above is the boys were demanded their "victim" to perform oral sex on them which may not suggest they are young homosexuals either, same sex experimentation in youth is not uncommon and is not any indication of the orientation of the child or future adult behaviour but this is my lay man's look at it. Schools however need to now realize they have to prepare themselves for cases of same gender scenarios and at the policy level the Ministry of Education is going to have to face reality these children today are far more exploratory in a sense than the previous generation.

Let's talk some more

Peace and tolerance

H