Community Development
WE ARE IMPROVING BEHAVIOURS
Countries all over the world have been witnessing a rise in crime and violence in many forms. The Bahamas is not exempt. While the Family Islands are low-crime areas, the densely populated island of New Providence has been the focal point for antisocial behaviour.Statistics show that young people from mid-teens to late twenties are heavily represented as both victims and perpetrators of crime and violence. The pattern of socially and economically destructive behaviour is frequently determined by family dynamics, notions of gender roles and violent habits formed at schools.
The CSJP focuses on improving behaviours for non-violent conflict resolution in New Providence by engaging vulnerable youth, ages 15-29, through a variety of activities. These include training to address norms that promote acceptance of violence, school-based violence prevention activities and youth violence interruption. Young people learn how to improve social skills, anger management, conflict resolution skills and how to foster caring, supportive relationships. The CSJP also seeks a public health approach, addressing youth violence as a learned behaviour which can be prevented through various control methods.
The Ministry of National Security has developed a mutlifaceted curriculum which is administered by the CSJP at various community centres throughout New Providence. The Crime and Violence Prevention Programme comprises four modules: Conflict Resolution and Mediation; Parenting; Sexual Assault Prevention and Gender-based Violence.
Dr. Rochelle Lightbourne, CSJP coordinator for the Component under which the training falls, said the 4-part training program seeks to address nine distinct forms violence – physical , sexual, emotional, psychological, cultural, spiritual, financial abuse, verbal abuse and neglect.
YOUR 4-PART CRIME AND VIOLENCE PREVENTION PROGRAMME
1. Conflict Resolution and Mediation:
Participants are equipped with practical anger management, enabling them to respond effectively when confronted with high-tension situations.
2. Parenting:
Equipping mothers and fathers with the tools necessary for effective communication in the home, which is expected to result in a decrease in familial conflicts.
3. Sexual Assault Prevention:
Preventing sexual violence requires comprehensive prevention strategies that address factors at each level of the social ecology—individual, relationship and community.
4. Gender-based Violence: Addressing endorsement of rape myths, hostility toward women, endorsement of traditional gender roles, and hypermasculinity in regard to sexual assault perpetration against women.