Govt unveils anti-violence signage campaign

Government moved on Friday to step its Anti-Violence Campaign up another notch, launching a strategy to place anti-violence messages on bus shelters.

As he unveiled the messages on the bus shelter at Haggatt Hall, St Michael, Acting Minister of Sports, Youth and Community Empowerment John King said the Anti-Violence Adopt-A-Stop Project will roll-out at other shelters in the next few days at strategic locations, including Oistins, Speightstown, Six Roads and along the Black Rock main road.

He also indicated that a number of benches will be used to display messages in places heavily traversed by pedestrians and vehicular traffic.

King said: “One of the prime targets of [the campaign] is young people. The ministry will therefore be targeting areas such as schools, recreational facilities and places young people tend to congregate as priority spots to display messages of peace. The intention is to make messages of peace more visible in our face and consciousness in order that persons can make the choice to ‘end de violence now’.”

King, who also holds the culture ministry portfolio, reiterated that initiatives and programmes such as this are usually pre-emptive to head-off a real or perceived threat.

He said that it is therefore his intention to strengthen the project by extending the scope and viability of anti-violence messages across the physical land-space and reaching into hotspot areas to respond to concerns about social inequalities, diminishing opportunities and lack of access to skills necessary for development.

In addition to providing anti-violence messages aimed at reinforcing positive thinking and reducing violent thoughts, the campaign will also occupy the talents and time of young people as a means of reducing the risk factors for violence, while empowering young people, families and communities by providing viable skills, opportunities for self-development and personal well-being, he added.

He said: “The ministry will work with a number of strategic partners to achieve the above mentioned goals. These partners include the Criminal Justice Research and Planning Unit, the Barbados Prison Service, the Ministry of Public Works and Transport, community members, international and national non-Governmental organizations and service providers.

The ministry has completed the “Give me peace pun the mic” project which attracted 1,800 online viewers, and anticipate that the numbers of viewers will increase substantially as the programme is redistributed on CBC and YouTube. (AH)