G-G Says Priority Must be Placed on Rescuing Misguided Males

Governor-General, His Excellency the Most Hon. Sir Patrick Allen, says priority must be given to rescuing misguided males in the Jamaican society.

Speaking at the inaugural Custos Awards banquet, hosted by Custos of St. James, Bishop the Hon. Conrad Pitkin, at the Hilton Rose Hall Resort and Spa, in St. James, on April 27, the Governor-General said for a long time now, “we have allowed so called boy behaviour to enjoy a level of adult permissiveness, which for a number of reasons, contributes to male adolescent indiscipline and a sense of entitlement.”

“Many times, such adolescent males, without helpful guided intelligent restraint, grow into men with a deficient sense of responsibility in important areas of their lives,” he said.

According to the Governor-General, boys are consistently sliding into a state of underachievement and underperformance, which he believes has led to the chronic problem of at-risk young men in society.

In that regard, he called for more Jamaicans to join the fight to rescue “our boys” through mentorship.

“Our boys need mentoring to stand and take their rightful place in society. There is so much attention focused on helping our young ladies, and you see that it is paying off vastly with the number graduating from high school, with the number graduating from university, taking their places in society. We see on the other hand, some of our young men falling back into the gutter, and so I ask that all of us together, bring all our young people forward to take their place, as we mentor them to be successful leaders in the future,” the Governor-General emphasised.

He added that keen focus should be placed on how children, in particular boys, are nurtured, and called on Justices of the Peace to play a critical role in positively influencing the lives of the nation’s youth.

Thirty one Justices of the Peace were honoured for their excellence in service at the ceremony.