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PM: Stigma of perception hurting West Kingston residents
Friday, October 07, 2011
PRIME Minister Bruce Golding says that part of the burden that the people of his constituency of West Kingston carry is the stigma of perception.
Golding made the comment Wednesday as he officially opened the Victims Support Unit West Kingston Satellite Counselling Centre in the community to help victims of crime.
"I have learnt that reality can say one thing but it can be overwhelmed and defeated by perception. There is a perception that this (West Kingston) is a dangerous place; this is a place where you are not safe to walk on the streets when the reality is the opposite. I have stopped quoting figures provided by the Area 4 Headquarters which demonstrate that West Kingston has one of the lowest crime rates in the entire Corporate Area because no one listens or believes," Golding stressed.
He said that he hopes the centre will not only address the needs of victims of crime, but will be used to transform lives and the perception that has hindered West Kingston residents.
According to Golding, the centre -- which is located at the Open Bible Church on Spanish Town Road -- was not solely necessitated by the activities of May 10 that saw a bloody stand-off between members of the security forces and gunmen in Tivoli Gardens as the lawmen attempted to capture confessed gangster Christopher 'Dudus' Coke, who was then wanted by United States authorities to face drug and gunrunning charges.
He said other experiences, such as family disputes, need the kind of services that will be offered at
the centre.
"I am going to urge the counsellors that are here not to treat that as your mandate but recognise that like in every inner-city community there are tensions and there are stresses and there are so many things that can be averted if facilities like this are available," the prime minister noted.
The Victims Support Unit Programme is operated by the Ministry of Justice and assists persons against whom certain offences have been committed. The West Kingston Centre will provide counselling, psychological assessment and testing and emotional support to victims of criminal offences.
Golding said while the centre will provide a means of helping people to deal with certain experiences, the much bigger job which needs to be done is the repackaging and re-presenting of the communities of West Kingston. He said there are lawbreakers in West Kingston as in any other community but the people of Western Kingston need assistance to demonstrate and present themselves as creative individuals who are longing to command the respect they deserve.
According to the prime minister, there has to be a deliberate effort to engage the communities when these facilities are being developed and their services rolled out so that the purpose of serving the community is not defeated. He added that a programme of sensitisation needs to be undertaken so that all the support is garnered and the centre becomes a part of the broader game plan of transformation of the communities.
Read more: http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/news/...#ixzz1a5Xv3JF8
Friday, October 07, 2011
PRIME Minister Bruce Golding says that part of the burden that the people of his constituency of West Kingston carry is the stigma of perception.
Golding made the comment Wednesday as he officially opened the Victims Support Unit West Kingston Satellite Counselling Centre in the community to help victims of crime.
"I have learnt that reality can say one thing but it can be overwhelmed and defeated by perception. There is a perception that this (West Kingston) is a dangerous place; this is a place where you are not safe to walk on the streets when the reality is the opposite. I have stopped quoting figures provided by the Area 4 Headquarters which demonstrate that West Kingston has one of the lowest crime rates in the entire Corporate Area because no one listens or believes," Golding stressed.
He said that he hopes the centre will not only address the needs of victims of crime, but will be used to transform lives and the perception that has hindered West Kingston residents.
According to Golding, the centre -- which is located at the Open Bible Church on Spanish Town Road -- was not solely necessitated by the activities of May 10 that saw a bloody stand-off between members of the security forces and gunmen in Tivoli Gardens as the lawmen attempted to capture confessed gangster Christopher 'Dudus' Coke, who was then wanted by United States authorities to face drug and gunrunning charges.
He said other experiences, such as family disputes, need the kind of services that will be offered at
the centre.
"I am going to urge the counsellors that are here not to treat that as your mandate but recognise that like in every inner-city community there are tensions and there are stresses and there are so many things that can be averted if facilities like this are available," the prime minister noted.
The Victims Support Unit Programme is operated by the Ministry of Justice and assists persons against whom certain offences have been committed. The West Kingston Centre will provide counselling, psychological assessment and testing and emotional support to victims of criminal offences.
Golding said while the centre will provide a means of helping people to deal with certain experiences, the much bigger job which needs to be done is the repackaging and re-presenting of the communities of West Kingston. He said there are lawbreakers in West Kingston as in any other community but the people of Western Kingston need assistance to demonstrate and present themselves as creative individuals who are longing to command the respect they deserve.
According to the prime minister, there has to be a deliberate effort to engage the communities when these facilities are being developed and their services rolled out so that the purpose of serving the community is not defeated. He added that a programme of sensitisation needs to be undertaken so that all the support is garnered and the centre becomes a part of the broader game plan of transformation of the communities.
Read more: http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/news/...#ixzz1a5Xv3JF8
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