Barbados: PM Mia Mottley Calls for Unity and Urgent Action Against Violence

Mia Mottley, Prime Minister of Barbados, in her speech to the nation, defined the aggressive activities threatening the population of Barbados and called for an emergency meeting of the citizens. She appealed for unity among the citizens.

Speaking about crime, she emphasized the importance of rough and efficient actions by the police and judiciary and spoke about the need to change legislation to enhance court performance and to transform the criminal justice system.

Thus, Mottley underlined that Barbadians have always shown remarkable performance handling major adversity, including maintaining the country’s currency, let alone overcoming the COVID-19 pandemic.

She also appealed for such unity to fight other modern-day problems such as violence, greed, gang related issues, as well as mental and physical abuse to persons, adding that the social restrictions occasioned by the pandemic further fueled the issue of mental health.

She emphasized that it is the duty of society’s leaders such as parents, guardians, employers, and religious organizations to impart moral and ethical standards to the youths. Mottley also stressed the need to explain the differences between right and wrong and explain the value of human life.

Speaking about the dangers of obesity and other outcomes of excessive use of social networks and several hours spent in front of the screens, Mottley pointed out that social networks and other forms of the same determine children’s lack of response to violence.

The administration is very worried about unbiased exposure of children to aggression and violence through developing interactive entertainment and media such as video games, entertainment media, and, of course, movies and television that socialize America’s youth and adults to accept guns and killing as normal.

It is propagated that social media reflects names of social trends and behaviors, but the Prime Minister pointed out that it is just the opposite with the given characteristics of unacceptable manners. This made Mottley urge all sectors of society to go to war against this vice carrying out a zero-tolerance campaign against gun and drug related activities.

She further challenged the members of the community to strive and work hand to ensure that they eliminate the bearing of these firearms and urged the parents and guardians to ensure that any possessor of a firearm hands it to the next of the authority and preferably to the police.

PM Mottley concluded that it is necessary to make a nationwide effort to decrease the count of guns and weapons in Barbados and thus tackle the foremost causes of violence. She called out for all the Barbadians to stand together to fight against the culture of violence and further create a safe and peaceful society.