Society response to gun violence needed, says Husbands

Yet another Government Minister has condemned the scourge of gun violence plaguing the country and has called for a total society approach to the nagging issues.

For Minister in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Sandra Husbands, the issue hit home on Wednesday night when gunshots rang out in Haynesville St. James, a stone’s throw away from her St. James South constituency office.

Police revealed that 30-year-old Teron Forde was shot and injured when two men wearing dark clothing approached a canteen where men were standing and opened fire.

Moments later, Husbands took to social media where she revealed that members of her constituency branch executive were held up at the constituency office, because gunshots were ringing out near by.

“Can’t move as Marcy lives in the midst of that gunfire. Going to make sure she gets home safe,” she posted on Facebook.

“Barbados needs a cleansing, we need a community outreach, parental training and an active church all to work with families to save our young people,” she added.

The shooting was the second to disturb the Haynesville area in less than five days. On Sunday afternoon, three men were left in serious condition after being shot.

While lauding Government’s community programmes such as the national training initiative along with efforts from Attorney General Dale Marshall to improve policing and strengthen the judicial system, Minister Husbands stressed that other areas of society also need to play their part.

She added that many communities plagued with unemployment and businesses plagued by the pandemic’s economic fallout are restless.

“This particular incident emphasizes the absolute need that we have to pull together as a society so that we can rebuild the values in our young people and the economy. People are feeling the economic strain, but if you don’t have a strong value system, you are liable to do something that jeopardizes your life or the lives of others,” Husbands told Barbados TODAY.

“A society functions well when all of the threads in that fabric are working well and are unbroken. So you need an effective church, an effective school, an effective family, effective government systems, effective police, and effective penal reform systems along with volunteer associations and clubs and community groups being effective at what they are doing.

“All of this is telling us that we have a lot of work to do as a country and as a people and we have to take all of the citizens and get this under control. It is not a quick fix. It is hard work and we have to get down to the business of that work,” she added. kareemsmith@barbadostoday.bb