Youth violence alarm: two teen assault cases prompt call for intervention in Jamaica

Fi We Children Foundation raises alarm over rising youth violence after a bus assault in Spanish Town and a viral Kingston College incident.

Foundation sounds alarm over teen violence after Spanish Town bus assault and viral school video

The Fi We Children Foundation (FWCF) has raised concern about what it describes as the growing visibility of violence among young people in Jamaica, following two recent incidents involving teenagers, Jamaica Observer reports.

In one case, two teenage siblings were reportedly charged with assault occasioning grievous bodily harm and unlawful wounding after allegedly attacking a teenage girl during a dispute on a bus in Spanish Town. The victim reportedly suffered a fractured nose and lost consciousness during the altercation.

The foundation also flagged a video circulating on social media that appears to show a male Kingston College student being held over a railing by peers before being dropped onto a flight of stairs.

"While violence among young people is not new, mobile phones and social media have made it easier for such incidents to be recorded, circulated and amplified," FWCF said in a press release issued on Friday.

The organisation stressed that accountability alone is insufficient. Prevention, education and early intervention must accompany any response, it said, arguing that children need practical skills to manage conflict and resolve disputes without resorting to violence.

FWCF called on the state minister responsible for peace, child protection agencies, schools, parents and community stakeholders to coordinate efforts to prevent youth violence and create safer environments for children.

The foundation also reminded schools that its Mek Wi Reason: ADR in Schools project offers peer-to-peer counselling and conflict-resolution training to help students address disagreements peacefully.

Source: Jamaica Observer