Prime Minister Gaston Browne has voiced strong concerns about the state of parenting in Antigua and Barbuda, emphasizing the critical role parents play in shaping their children’s behavior and character. Speaking candidly, Browne shared personal experiences with his own children to highlight the importance of parental influence in preventing crime and violence.
As a father of five, Browne acknowledged that he never lived with two of his children, yet maintained a significant impact on their lives, ensuring they steered clear of criminal activities. He stressed that even as adults, he continues to guide them, intervening when he believes they are making inappropriate decisions. “I can’t see myself as a father who could live in a home with a minor who has big cutlasses and guns, chopping up people and shooting people,” Browne said, reflecting on the need for vigilant and responsible parenting.
Browne pointed to a fundamental problem of parenting in the country, arguing that parents must take greater responsibility for their children’s actions. He noted that it is common for parents to shift blame onto the government, schools, or churches when their children become involved in criminal activities. However, he insisted that the root of the issue lies within the family unit.
To address this, the Prime Minister announced plans to introduce legal changes that will hold parents accountable for their children’s behavior. He suggested that parents who fail to properly nurture and guide their children could face court action and financial penalties. “You don’t have to have a lot of money to raise good children,” Browne asserted, challenging the notion that financial limitations excuse poor parenting.
Browne also expressed concern about the lack of empathy among some parents, which he believes contributes to the criminal behavior observed in their children. He recounted an incident where a mother was seen using profane language around a young child, illustrating how negative behavior can be passed down and normalized within families.
The Prime Minister’s remarks underscore his belief that the solution to the country’s crime problem starts at home, with parents instilling strong values and discipline in their children from an early age. Browne’s comments reflect his administration’s commitment to addressing the root causes of crime by promoting responsible parenting and ensuring that legal measures are in place to hold parents accountable.
Advertise with the mоѕt vіѕіtеd nеwѕ ѕіtе іn Antigua!
We offer fully customizable and flexible digital marketing packages.
Contact us at [email protected]
AMEN
So we want to punish parents but offer not facilities to teach parents or rehabilitate broken parents. What happen to an ounce of prevention first ?
I am 1000% in agreement with the Prime Minister. I support him when he is saying things I support and rebut when he is not. Here, I with with PM Browne.
Please start with the whorehouses.
You just can’t fix stupid, cause stupid is as stupid does!
I fully support this. I’ve always thought, it is interesting how these killers and robbers caught on camera have family yet no one is reporting them when videos of them doing nonsense goes viral. They prefer to withhold this information knowing very well it’s their child and cry murder when the police shoot them down. You should be able to identify your child from even a far distance and further you should be able to know what clothes they own. How can you be so selfish. Not only are you an ineffective parent but now you are harboring criminals.
Clown
So how would ppl know exactly if a individual is a criminal when some of them never even get convicted or even bin arrested…. how that part works cause a lot of children doing criminal activities and around a lot of people and they don’t kno
What parents? Everyone is missing the most important point that parents exist mainly in the middle class. The vast majority of the problem youths come from single mother families. If we are going to bring a law then charge the absent father. Unfortunately, we now need to force men to take up their responsibilities and stop making children all over the place and accepting no responsibility. It would be unfair to charge the poor, overworked and overwhelmed mothers.
PM, I commend you in being an exemplary father but what about the hundreds, maybe thousands of men in this country, who accept no responsibility and play no role in the lives of their children. They refuse to pay child support and your Police do little to find them on court orders. And then they don’t even pass to visit their own children. Let’s legislate parental responsibility. As long as your name is on the Birth Certificate, both parents, absent or present must be liable for the actions of their children.
@Justice – Are you saying you don’t know your child/children? Then that is exactly what the PM is saying, you need to get to know them. You should be able to identify your child even with a mask on, you should know their clothing, etc. When the videos circulate, the parents can identify their kids but they turn a blind eye.
It is 10PM, do you know where your child is?
I am with the PM 100%. It is time we take some action.
I’m in total agreement with the pm parents have to be held accountable for an under age child how ever whe a child reached to age the child has to be held accountable for their own actions parents can’t not expect that their children are going to go out there and break the and it’s okay to my pm parents are absolute responsibility for an under age child which in my eyes they should be in control of their upbringing otherwise when they fail that child they should be lock up not charged……
Well this will wake up the foolish parents who refuse to take accountability for the children. You as a parent know you didn’t buy certain things for your child but they have it in your house so guess what any child wants privacy in your home they need to pay bills. Check the bags clothing and no stones must be left unturned. It does not matter if the mother is a single parent this is when these females need to go parent with the male and get out of their feelings and if the male or female move on to do what’s best for the children. Men leave their wives every day so why you think as a single woman think a man can’t leave? Get up and put in the work and raise productive citizens instead of criminal elements. Good move charge them along with their children so now it’s time for them to be vigilant.
Blossom. What parents? I will repeat, the majority of these troubled teens have no fathers. They come from single mother families. Let us deal with reality. Let us deal with the deadbeat fathers and legislate to make them bear their responsibilities and not just be sperms donors.
As long as the system is fair… If the parent really knew because it was obvious then sure. If not then that would be unjust.
Asking Gaston how did you intervene when Jr pulled his gun on the young lady , isn’t that criminal. Guess he forget he still have two underage children that could commit a crime and ge will be held responsible as no amount of money can steer a child the right way.
This! This! Now you’re getting to the root cause of this madness, families! I rest my case. Make good on this intervention. Family values make or break us, it’s a fact.
I think many of you are getting the point wrong..
Here, this PM is stating that parents who harbor criminal children should be charged, and that’s the distinction here. Meaning,if a parent knowingly have evidence that their child have commit a particular crime and cover it up (mostly to benefit from the crime) from the police, should be charged with the crime of harboring a criminal, the same as buying stolen goods..it’s also called obstruction of justice.
So this is something that I understand, and not just charging the parent for being a bad parent..I think some of you are getting the distinction incorrectly.
So in essence, all harboring of criminals should be punished, including the parents who knowingly obstruct the law by withholding or covering up evidence, or are knowingly benefitting from such crimes, the same way they are doing the scammers parents in Jamaica.
I think this is the distinction the Joker PM in saying here, to which I agree. So yes Gatson, it’s full time you and your lazy AG get off y’all asses and work for the people that voted for you, instead of chasing Super Yachts and pipe dreams from the Chinese and the Nigerians.
But carry on.
What you really need to do for a proper start, is to stop building their adrenaline by breaking in those cheap Dancehall artists, cause before the artist comes to Antigua, once the youths know such and such are coming, their obedience level goes up until after that show ends– so if you say, “if there are no looting or killing for covid, i will bring in Skeng” or whatever their names are, they will listen, cause their influence level towards those artist when they’re listening to them, especially if those artist are coming for a show here, the influential level/tolerance, becomes high.– i also say cheap because EC is higher than JMD, meaning, all of those artist are cheap enough for another Caribbean country, to book— that’s why they never think of Hip hop or R&b artists than that of a Dancehall artist— In Antigua, nowadays, we bring in more dancehall labba labba, shabba labba sounding artist, artist that sound like they mumble but have a good beat that hypes the listener– basically this is about Dancehall Dancehall artists in general, we bring in and play more of those nowadays, than that of positive REGGAE, both genres of Reggae The old ones(Bob marley, Peter Tosh, etc), and the ones of today(Taurus Riley, new Berris Hammond music, etc).
Comments are closed.