THE gruesome murder of Margaret Dawson, which is alleged to have been masterminded by a yet to be identified 17- year-old and an older accomplice, has sent shockwaves throughout the nation.
Investigations so far reveal that the victim may have been sexually assaulted before being left for dead in the Le Repentir Cemetery, where her body was later discovered. CCTV footage along with confessions from the duo confirm that they were indeed responsible for committing the acts of which they have been accused. A number of the victim’s belongings were also found on their person when they were apprehended by the police.
The facts, as established so far, clearly show that the crime was not only an act of desperation, but one of incredible aggression and brutality. It also points to an unrelenting trend and constant correlation between youth unemployment, and crime and violence in Guyana.
The escalation of youth crime and violence in Guyana could be attributed to a number of social issues, such as youth unemployment, poor education and high poverty levels among the cohort. Unfortunately, youth violence continues to lead our young men, in particular, further down the path of criminality, which ultimately lands them either in prison or in a casket, or sees them becoming homicide victims themselves.
A Study of Inmates in Guyana was conducted by Rodolfo Sarsfield and Marcelo Bergman in 2017 and published in 2018. The study was undertaken in collaboration with the Inter-American Development Bank and Center for Latin American Studies on Crime and Violence. It highlights the correlation between inmates’ childhood and life stories, and their resultant propensity to commit crime. According to the study, six out of ten inmates were physically punished to some degree by their parents or guardians when they were children.
One out of four respondents reported that their father or mother’s partner used to beat their mothers. In four out of ten cases, the inmates’ parents or adults with whom they lived as children, drank alcohol frequently. One out of five inmates said they were gang members or belonged to criminal groups in the neighbourhood where they lived as minors. Four out of ten inmates stated that they had a family member who had been sent to prison.
The findings are stark in their depiction of how the above-mentioned contributing factors all but ensure our young men’s trajectory into violence, crime and personal degradation. The correlation between witnessing and being victims of violence within the home setting, and then going out into society and perpetrating very similar crimes cannot be denied. The normalisation of violence from a young age continues to affect these individuals, and consequently the nature of the crimes they go on to commit. The study also highlights the correlation between alcohol, substance abuse and crime.
Furthermore, these individuals increasingly believe that their only option to make a living is to commit crime. This is reflected in the high levels of youth unemployment or underemployment, and also from statistics in the same study which captured the working patterns of the inmates prior to their incarceration. For instance, six out of ten inmates who had worked in the month before their arrest worked more than forty hours a week, however, many had precarious and unstable jobs. In addition, almost half of the inmates said they had had their first paid job at age 15 or younger.
The same study indicated that eight out of ten inmates had incomplete secondary education, or a lower level of education.
According to the Guyana Labour Force Survey of July 2018, youth unemployment stood at 45.8% and 54.2% for men and women, respectively. And, with approximately 70% of the population being under 35 years old, one can only conclude that the high levels of youth unemployment has a marked effect on unemployment statistics in general.
The trends, patterns and statistics indicate quite clearly that young men who grow up within violent homes and who have been exposed to drugs and alcohol are more likely to commit crime. Coupled with low levels of education and lack of suitable employment opportunities, it is almost guaranteed that they will continue to become perpetrators of crime. To its credit, the ‘Coalition’ government has spent quite a lot of funds on addressing this situation.
Through its anti-crime Citizen Security Strengthening Programme (CSSP), several youths have received technical and vocational training. Some have even gone on to open their own businesses, and in some cases advance their education. Component One of the Citizen Security Strengthening Programme aims to make youths between the ages of 16 and 25 resilient to crime and violence through the provision of technical and vocational training, and psycho-social support. Also, several NGOs and the USAID have run off programmes targeting At-Risk Youth, from which several young men and women have graduated. There have been several other initiatives, some undertaken by First Lady Mrs. Sandra Granger, empowering young women and also other community-oriented initiatives being run by NGOs and other groups.
Notwithstanding all that has been done, the gruesome and troubling crime which is the subject of this discussion will happen again, if we do not continue to address the underlying reasons why individuals, particularly young men, commit crime. There is no justification for the acts of these individuals, and their actions should be rightfully condemned, however, we must continue to do more to stem the prison pipeline through creating better opportunities for our young men, particularly those who fall within this cohort.
