PM Browne Urges Discipline and Protection for Youth in Support of Small Charges Amendment
Prime Minister Gaston Browne has thrown his support behind the Small Charges (Amendment) Bill 2024, emphasizing its importance in protecting the youth and fostering a disciplined society.
Speaking in Parliament, Browne stated that the bill is a critical step toward building a better nation, noting that “we want to transform Antigua and Barbuda into an economic powerhouse,” but such a goal cannot be achieved in an environment of chaos and confusion.
Browne stressed that the bill aims to introduce discipline by discouraging loitering among minors and holding parents accountable. Under the proposed legislation, parents face fines for allowing their children to loiter at night, with penalties also imposed on venues that permit minors to remain on their premises between 10:00 p.m. and 6:00 a.m.
The Prime Minister acknowledged concerns that the bill could be seen as infringing on civil liberties but argued that it is necessary to address long-standing issues of indiscipline.
He noted that while there are provisions for fines, the bill also offers alternatives such as community service and rehabilitation programs, ensuring that the legislation is not purely punitive.
“We’re not seeking to criminalize them,” Browne explained, adding that the ultimate goal is to invest in the youth to create a more disciplined and productive society in the future. He called on all citizens to cooperate in fostering a culture of responsibility, saying, “We will be holding every single citizen of this country responsible.”
Browne commended his colleagues on both sides of the aisle for supporting the amendments and highlighted the government’s broader efforts to invest in education and infrastructure for the nation’s youth.
Small Charges (Amendment) Bill 2024 Passed in Parliament
The House of Representatives has approved the Small Charges (Amendment) Bill 2024, aimed at enhancing public safety by discouraging loitering by minors. The bill amends the Small Charges Act Cap 405, mandating that children under 18 must be accompanied by a parent between 10:00pm and 6:00am.
Parents face fines ranging from EC $2,000 to $5,000 or up to six months in prison for their children’s loitering offenses. Bars, nightclubs, and similar venues will also be fined EC $5,000 if they allow unaccompanied minors on their premises during these hours. The bill also includes a provision for community service.
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Well done on that curfew. Fetes or whatever party promoters should be held just as accountable as the parents if these minors are caught breaking this curfew.
Well said,I love this
And I’d go even further than that, after hearing about the high amount of re-offenders in Antigua. The government and opposition should put the same curfews on them as well; whatever the age group.
Brixtonian furthering the debates as per usual.
Don’t get too upset my detractors and naysayers … it’s a GOD given gift 😉
Alcoholism drug and other abuses will be on the rise. The mental fall out is the one to watch.
So are we trying to stop fetes or crime? This government is just a serious violator of people’s rights
No way that the crime wave is happening because of kids 18 and under, no way in hell.
I would always advocate for the freedom of movement act, the very same act so many governments across the world violated during COVID..but then again I guess y’all have very short memories.
Yep this fool tear gas his very own people in the sad event.
There are better solutions than this foolishness.
If youth, especially girls can have sex at 16, that makes them adult, and if they are in school in the daytime, and the adult men are at work, when will they have sex?
Are we saying adults 16 to 18 are less adult, even if they are working?
This law will create loopholes and confusion.
I will be the first and it seems only, to condemn this quick and un-researched decision to implement a curfew, conditioning children to being confined, and being labeled as deviants, without first given them, youths, and parents, stiff motivation to keep youths safe and accountable.
Curfew would not be the first strategy that I would use to accomplish what the government is trying to accomplish. Again, you cannot solve every problem by criminalized it and labeling people as criminals and deviants.
The only thing that was tried by the government was, let me punish you. That is all these bills/laws now do.
@idontknowmyname So from this whole thing all you got what the fact that 16 yr old girls can’t have sex late nights 🙃 well sex on your days off or tell the mother to bring her child and wait for her since that’s the only foolish comment you could think to post chupz yall sick children should know their place some of these parents allow alot of b.s rather then allow them to be children