Church speaks out against violence

In light of the recent spate of violence affecting Barbados, John Goddard, Chairman, Anglican Commission on Advocacy and Social Justice has spoken out on behalf of the institution. Below is the statement in full.

“On behalf of the Diocesan Administrator, Canon Wayne Isaacs and the Commission on Advocacy and Social Justice of the Anglican Church, I wish to express deep concern at the lawless and violent behaviour of a minority of our young people.

This is a matter for all Barbadians and I pledge the Commission’s support for reasonable government efforts to deal with the situation which is a threat not only to our economy, but also the quality of our daily lives. Indeed, the Social Justice Commission will soon roll out a comprehensive programme entitled At Risk, Youth and we will try to involve churches of all denominations, service clubs and schools with the aim of tackling the problem in a holistic way.

In the meantime, I repeat the call made by the Commission three years ago for government to set up a university of the West Indies led team to study the factors causing restlessness and deviance among a growing number of our youth.

We have to act now to minimise the number of young people whose potential is destroyed by a life of crime and violence, and to return a state of normalcy to our most affected communities.” (PR)