Guest Writer

Animal over-population

At last count there are now six animal welfare organisations here in Grand Cayman – not all of them registered. How is it possible that an island this size (I am only discounting CaymanBrac and Little Cayman as these entities are all based in Grand Cayman) has the need of six animal welfare operations all focused on any or a combination of all of the following (and this list is by no means exhaustive):

• Rescue abandoned or abused animals (and prevent ill treatment, cruelty and suffering of all domestic animals)
• Provide shelter (and care and attention)
• Aim to eradicate the animal overpopulation by encouraging spay and neuter
• Relocate animals to (preferably no kill) shelters in the USA
• Promotion of adoption/seek out (responsible and loving) homes
• Educate the public on responsible pet ownership

My mother was one of a group of people who helped to start what is now the Humane Society and in an interview in the ‘Nor’wester’ Magazine in 1972, she was quoted as saying that the Humane Society came about due to there being an animal over-population problem … this was 41 years ago and it doesn’t seem to have improved.

In the past 41 years how much money has been thrown at this problem? (How many relationships have been fractured and how much more money do we intend to keep throwing?) Most of this is privately funded. I believe of the six organizations only one (that being the Humane Society) receives (minimal) government assistance, and as all but one are registered charities, who presumably keep accounts, this figure is possible to obtain. But I’m not sure it will be helpful in solving what is an enormous and incredibly emotive problem that doesn’t seem to be diminishing, despite best intentions.

To give you an idea, just one of these charities that I follow quite closely is Cayman Animal Rescue Enthusiasts (CARE). I am a big fan of these guys, who possess honesty, integrity and a willingness to ‘be the change you want to see’. (I’m not saying the others don’t; I am simply focusing on CARE because I know the most about these guys.) In addition, with no government subsidy, and with no premises or paid staff they have accomplished the following in the short time they’ve been operating as a registered charity (late 2009):

• 1,011 spay and neuter surgeries for community dogs and cats
• 272 dogs and puppies have been transferred overseas
• 72 dogs have been adopted into loving and responsible homes here on Island

As much as it’s been helpful to forge relationships with (at times no kill) shelters overseas and good homes have been found for some of our ‘Caymanian’ breed dogs, this is not solving the problem over the long term. It’s a short term fix and it seems that as if each new organization pops up, there’s another reason for another irresponsible pet owner to shirk their responsibility.

It seems we’re almost enabling this culture of irresponsible pet ownership and giving folks a free pass to leave the Island without having to take their animals with them because of the big hearts involved – ‘someone will always take care of them’. Equally, there are those who aren’t leaving the Island but are leaving their animals in very inhumane conditions and may as well be considered an ‘absentee owner’.  And so, every time someone is required to take care of an animal that’s been abandoned or mistreated by those irresponsible amongst us, it detracts resources (both time and money) from the true purpose, which is to educate the population and eradicate the over-population problem.

What is needed is government legislation (and enforcement). A dog breeding legislation must be in place, and it must be one that enforces breeders to hold a Trade & Business License.  In addition, and in order to obtain and maintain such Trade & Business License, the licensee would be subject to home or businessproperty inspections, etc.  This will cost money to implement and oversee and this is why there is a price to hold a Trade & Business license that is renewable annually. But this has got to cost less to oversee than is currently being spent by both government and the private sector in the funds being used to fund six different (yet similar) directions.

In addition, the government must bring back the dog licensing registration, preferably with a fee scale depending on whether the dog being brought in is to breed or not, and if the dog isn’t being brought in to breed (by a licensed breeder) then surely the dog should be brought in already spayed or neutered.

If this were to take place, there would be no need for these organizations to continue cleaning up the mess that is being allowed to continue (and in fact seemingly multiply) and the money that is being bled into and out of them might be channeled to one of the many other worthy causes that have yet to be fixed with something as simple as legislation and oversight.

In the meantime, and until legislation and oversight is in place, all of these registered charities need our help, and so I would encourage you to consider making a donation to any or all that speak specifically to you. But equally important, I would encourage us all to reach out to our government representatives to see if we can encourage change.

I realize we have enormous problems to tackle and this may be the least of them in some of your minds but please remember the quote by (I believe it was) Mahatma Ghandi, who said, “The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated.”

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Causes of unemployment among Caymanians

Being an unemployed Caymanian is what I have experienced most of my adult life in the Cayman Islands. However, because of the good people of George Town I had steady employment between November 1996 and May 2005. The reasons for my unemployment are many, some of which are certainly attributable to me. But the fact that so many Caymanians are now without employment might at least suggest that my chronic unemployment was not totally of my own doing.

I am now beyond the time when I should fight to be employed since I do and have always employed my intellect in the area of culture and the social sciences, which one day will be of use to my people if they choose to learn about themselves and their challenges; but what now of all the others unemployed?

I understand, and I pray there are others that do as well, that many times Caymanians wish for the worst for their brothers and sisters. We did not really need the expat to discriminate against us since we have always discriminated against each other, even when it is to our benefit to cooperate. This is a deeply rooted subconscious trait.

This lack of collective behavior and making rational decisions in relationship to the employment of people is rooted in the irrational nature of the economic activities we founded during early settlement. Employment was a way to reward or punish individual behavior rather than to create profits.

The expat owners of business have had a different approach to employment, always employing to increase profits rather to socially control. Therefore, many Caymanians over the last four decades sought refuge in the civil service where they were hired and promoted according to their adherence to the ruling political class.  The merchant class system of patronage and loyalty had moved from the private to the public sector by the politicians who sought to replace the declining merchant class as Cayman’s elite.

This system of political paternalism has now been uprooted by the global rescission and the UK’s control of our countries finances. Many Caymanians who would have in the past been hired by the public sector are being thrown to the capitalist owners of local businesses that are operating their business not to please Caymanians but to exploit employees for the sake of profits, not votes or a superior position in the social hierarchy of this country.  

Cayman may have a few thousand Caymanian unemployed because of their being rejected by the private sector but we need to count those in government hiding from the private sector to realize just how the capitalist institutions in his country are in conflict with our traditional values and culture. Too many of us have been made dysfunctional within rational profit oriented environments, not because of any fault of our own but because of the difference in our cultural conditioning.

The defensive myth of Caymanian thrift is known to employers who are interested not in who your mammy or daddy is, or whether you from West Bay or East End, but in profits. It is only an examination of the history and sociology of Caymanian entrepreneurial and labor exploitation from slavery to present that will reveals the truth. In the past Caymanians did work hard but they worked for themselves and their families, neither for local nor especially for foreign bosses.

This point is so significant and we should not feel ashamed that in the past we were self-sufficient family units and not instruments of capitalist exploitation. Today the price is unemployment when there are so many jobs in our country. However, had the politicians been allowed to recruit more and more Caymanian labor without concern to the financial consequences, we would be experiencing very little unemployment among qualified and willing to work Caymanians.  

Therefore, unemployment among Caymanians is mostly a consequence of the austerity measure of our government and our education system’s ability to produce many more qualified people than can be employed by government, rather than an increase in discrimination against Caymanians in the work place.

A solution to this problem must therefore be gradual and cannot be managed without the acceptance of certain sociological facts. Blame is, of course, never helpful because it will disrupt the possibility of any meaningful solution. Understanding the causes and meaning of Caymanian unemployment must begin with a truthful examination of Caymanian economic and social institutions pastto present.

My question is whether the present Minister of Labor is willing to make this necessary analysis or is she also going to deny the relevancy of our past economic and social experiences on our present condition.

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Issues women face in recovery

Recovery Month is an international observance that highlights the fact that addiction treatment and mental health services can enable those with a mental and/or substance use disorder to live a healthy and rewarding life. Each September, thousands of prevention, treatment, recovery programs and services around the world celebrate their successes and share them with their neighbors, friends, and colleagues in an effort to educate the public about recovery, how it works, for whom, and why.  

Locally, we are highlighting the interaction between women and recovery with a specific focus on barriers to treatment.  Worldwide statistics suggest that women are underrepresented in Substance use treatment. The data suggest that anywhere between 25-40% of clients in treatment at any given time, are women.  On Island, these statistics are even lower.  Recent data from The Department of Counseling Services show that 20% of active clients that are in treatment for substance use, are women.  This article seeks to highlight the underrepresentation of women in recovery, and some of the many barriers women face in recovery.

Historically the underrepresentation of women in recovery was attributed to the fact that prior to the 1960’s; many people were not looking at the world through a "gender lens". Understanding women from a social science perspective began during the second wave of the women's movement (1960's through 1970's).  It wasn't until researchers began to question science’s conclusions that women’s issues in recovery began to surface.

Most users will not seek treatment on their own; contact with treatment largely depends on other persons or agencies (e.g. family members, health care providers, government agencies, the legal system etc).  The likelihood that a substance abuse problem will be identified appears to differ by gender. Forexample, compared with men, substance abuse problems among women, particularly older women are less likely to be identified in health care settings. 

Compared with male substance abusers, female substance abusers tend to have more physical problems, and are more vulnerable than males to the physiological effects of substance use.  Given this information, it is not entirely surprising that upon contact with health services, women are more likely to be referred for mental health or medical intervention, as opposed to substance abuse treatment.  More often than women, men will be mandated to treatment by the criminal justice system. The strong correlation between drugs and criminal behavior amongst men is a factor that contributes to higher rates of identification.
 
In addition to various medical problems, the substance abusing woman is at increased risk for psychological problems. Co morbid psychiatric disorders, such as depression, anxiety, bipolar affective disorder, phobias, psychosexual disorders, eating disorders, or posttraumatic stress disorder are found more in women than in men.  This can affect their interaction with treatment in many ways.  For example, the depressed woman might know that she needs treatment but due to her disorder, might lack the motivation necessary to do so; or the substance abusing woman with anxiety disorder might be paralyzed by the thought of attending treatment. 

One of the biggest issue women faces as it pertains to recovery, is stigmatization and the accompanying shame.  The size of our Island nation lends itself to more frequent occurrences of stigmatization, as even the slightest variation increases the possibility that it will be detected.   Drug use is one of those variations that carry a heavy stigma anywhere in the world.  Both men and women experience the stigma attached to drug use, they differ however in the degree to which it is experienced.  It has been found that the stigma is much greater for women because of gender-based stereotypes that hold women to different standards. 

Men’s drug and alcohol use is more socially tolerated and sometimes condoned as acceptable “machismo” behavior, whereas drinking and drugging on the part of women engender greater social disapproval and are considered adverse to traditional female roles of mother and wife.  Fueling the already high stigmatization that women user’s experience, is the assumption and belief that women who uses drugs and abuses alcohol also engages in prostitution to fuel their addiction.  These demoralizing assumptions also contribute to the women not attending treatment.  Women tend to feel exacerbated shame due to their roles as primary caretakers and nurturers. 

Women, especially The Caymanian woman, were historically considered the backbone of the family.  Traditionally the Caymanian woman had to maintain 2 roles; she looked after the affairs of the house while earning a living to support her family. She was asked to be strong, tough and rugged, but also nurturing, loving and protective.  Compounding the role of traditional Caymanian women is the high rate of absentee fathers. The fall from grace women users’ experience, when they perceive others as seeing them as “unfit” and “less than”; is much easier to disregard than to confront.  Attending treatment would most likely lead to addressing the issues that gave rise to the identification of a problem and the acceptance that the problem is real; a task that might be overwhelming to thefemale user. 

Added to the stigmatization and shame, the female user is highly fearful.  There are many reasons as to why fear affects women in recovery; but it specifically focuses on 2 areas. Generally speaking, women are usually the main care providers in the family. For some women drug users, parenthood can be a barrier to treatment, as theyfear the involvement of children's services could mean their children will be taken away. Some women look at attending treatment as admitting that they are unfit mothers. Most men users tend to be absentee fathers and thus this issue tends to be female dominated.  Even the female user who desires to attend treatment encounters concerns with parenting. Women in treatment are more likely to be responsible for the care of children, to have more children living in their homes, and to be more concerned about issues related to children than men. 

Without securing childcare issues, the female user who wants to attend treatment will encounter logistical issues that can interfere with treatment outcomes.  Another reason why the female experience is characterized by fear is that, in some situations attending treatment might be putting her at increased risk.  Research has shown that female users are more likely to have using partners than men users.  The female user that desires to attend treatment might not get the support and encouragement she needs to develop the motivation necessary to address her issues.  As a matter of fact, she is more likely to experience the opposite.  Seeking treatment may create a serious problem for the relationship; she is more likely to be discouraged, threatened or even abused than encouraged 

The issues women face in recovery could not be fully explained in such a relatively small article.  The article's main intent was to highlight some of the many gender specific issues experienced by female users.  The Department of Counseling Services is committed to Client directed therapy that is sensitive to the complex issues of those who we serve.  The 3 arms of the department work cohesively as a unit and in partnership with outside agencies to increase the possibility of sufficiently addressing all therapeutic needs. Join us as we celebrate Recovery Month.

Greg Miller is a Counsellor (Community Based) with the Cayman Islands Department of Counselling Services

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Breaking news … Robbery victims were targeted!

Quote from Cayman 27’s news report … “Police say the victims of a terrifying armed robbery were specifically targeted and residents need not worry.’ The Inspector’s specific quote was, apparently, “I don’t think that the community has to be overly concerned, I believe they were in fact targeted.”

I find this utterly astounding – I would imagine that yes, they were targeted, just like the poor man returning home at 3am was targeted, and just like someone walking home from work or a restaurant or bar closing up for the night might be targeted.

None of this means that the wider community should not be overly concerned, given the amount of robberies and break-ins that have happened especially lately, not all of them, I might add, have been reported in the press – the police do seem to have very different statistics of actual break-ins than the news services have reported.

As we’re told not to worry because this poor family was targeted, just 24 hours later another robbery involving guns occurs, and I would imagine this location, in the heart of our ‘tourist district’, was also targeted. But I would suggest this in fact means that the wider community needs to become more alert and much more aware of their surroundings and put their guards up rather than see this as a cause to let our guards down and relax and breathe a sigh of relief, because the fact that they may have been targeted only means that we are all safe until in fact we might become targets!

I am pleased to see a positive story on the CCTV camerasand the impact they seem to be having but with all these advances and new technology and increased expenditure on the safety of the residents of and visitors to these islands, I can honestly not recall a time in our history when crime was as high as it is today – when we had to wonder whether our children could walk home from school or whether it was safe to leave your office or home after dark for fear of someone targeting you.

I agree with ‘Castor’, who commented on Sweet Pea’s recent viewpoint when he said, “Until citizens grow a set and step up to the plate and provide the authorities with information and help, these sort of shenanigan hoodlum activities will continue. Citizens (‘Real Caymanians,’ ‘Paper Caymanians’ and Permit Holders) need to do their moral and civic duty. Mothers, fathers, sisters, brothers and other family members, friends and acquaintances know who the culprits are.”  We do need to all become a lot more aware, we need to increase our guard, not decrease it, and we need to provide information when we are aware of any that may be helpful to the police in order that they can do their jobs more effectively.

Another thing ‘Castor’ said was that “bashing the police isn’t helpful”, and he’s right, and my intention in highlighting this inspector’s comment was not to bash the police but to say that we need to stop pretending that everything is OK or that it’s not something we need to worry about until it affects us or our families.  We must return to the time when we knew our neighbours and cared about them and took it upon ourselves to check on them if something seems amiss.  We need the police to enforce the law but we also need to provide them with the necessary community support in order for them to do so more efficiently and effectively.

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A victim’s story

I was raped just four years ago and by someone I knew. Even though I'm an adult, what that person stole from me will never be replaced. For a long time it remained an open wound for me and only very recently I can even speak about it. This man raped me. He may not have physically beaten me or threatened my life or family, it happened once, but I'm thankful that he was at least sentenced to five years.

Now, someone please tell me how our little children are being raped, molested multiple times and these monsters get just a few months! Where is the justice?

I learned to speak out and share what happened when a close family member confided only recently that she was raped by someone she knew and felt ashamed and afraid to report it.

Rape is too common in Cayman and it’s like a secret that some people want to keep hidden. Even worse, it seems to be accepted by too many as just something that happens and should be brushed under the rug. There are many more incidents than what is being reported.

To be violated all over again, through rape kits, examinations, questioning by multiple detectives or officers, prosecutors, testifying with more questioning, all the shame, guilt, regret, hurt, anger that you have to go through — and then they get away with it?

I was an adult and thought I was dealing with it all right, although I wouldn't talk about it to friends or family, not even counseling — just wanting to bury it as best as I could — until I witnessed relationships and friendships crumble around me. I became a different person, someone that I didn't even like, but being in that dark place changed me. I was afraid, depressed and full of anger. Now imagine a child trying to cope with that!

It took a lot to be able to say the word "rape" and today I, another victim, ask: if this was to happen to your son, daughter, brother or sister, how would you feel? Why are these wicked and disgusting people getting away with these crimes as if they stole a soda pop from a store?

Is it really OK to say that someone can destroy a person, not only their life but destroy that person as a individual and get away as if they did nothing, then go ahead living life hiding behind the "law"?

All my life I have heard stories of things happening to children (boys and girls), women and men in Cayman and the problem sexual abuse, child molestation and rape was in our country.

I remember my parents “warning” me of certain individuals in my community or overhearing adults talking about incidents that had happened in the past. But as I grew older, I couldn't understand why all these warnings and stories were only whispered between one another. What about everyone else that didn't know or were new to the area or country, how would they know who these “bad people” were?

I do not support the practice of not naming the perpetrator in the media reports. When such crimes are committed against us and to a family member, we want to protect ourselves or hide because of the shame that we may feel. But the victims did nothing wrong. We want to protect our privacy, especially young people or children, but how are we going to protect the other potential victims out there?

In Cayman the names of these perpetrators are protected, which only increases the risk that this person can re-offendand there will be more victims. It will continue to be a cycle of abuse. No one wants to talk about it. And in addition to that you have sentences that range from a few months to even suspended sentences. Where is the justice for the victims? There is so much wrong with that picture.

I ask all the people we voted into government to LEAD our country, to help protect us, our children, our families and each other — mandatory, harsher sentences for sex offenders and a Sex Offender Registry!

Or … did you all decide to run in our election to warm a seat and collect a salary? It’s your turn to answer and really show the Cayman Islands what everyone of you really think about this disease infecting our country.

I ask everyone to ask at least five others to sign this petition and let's show everyone that this will no longer be accepted and we are not going to make this sore linger anymore.

I beg you! If I could save one person from ever experiencing what I did, I would do anything I could to do just that.

What will YOU do?

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Tackling crime must be government’s priority

As indicated during the elections earlier this year, the majority in this country has high hopes that the current government will be able to put the Cayman Islands back on the right track. Certainly, this will not happen overnight; however, it is crucial that the people of this country are seeing actions within the first year in order to not lose faith. Considering the headlines in regards to the home invasion which occurred in Savannah, it is now beyond obvious what the new government’s priorities must be. 

We have now come to a point where we can’t wait any longer for the ever increasing crime rate to magically decrease. Fluffed up statistics of decrease in crime are just that – fluff! We know that a lot of robberies, break-ins, thefts etc are going unreported. IF they are reported to the police, then many of them will not be reported in the local news. There is no police presence EVER on the streets and I can’t recall the last time I have witnessed police having pulled someone over for speeding, tinted windows, dangerous driving, etc. A 16-year-old visitor to Grand Cayman recently said this: “Wow, I guess you all must not be worried about police around here considering how everyone is speeding!”

When we think about the amount of money that is annually spent on the RCIPS and Legal Department, the return we get for this money is, to say the least, pathetic. If a company would be run in that way, they would have had to close their doors many years ago.

We are now living in a country where a large amount of businesses must have security guards. Even at the hair salon I go to, I now have to press a buzzer so they can let me in as the door is locked for fear of robbery. More and more developments want to install security gates. (BTW – they are useless! Just ask one of the gated developments where recently some 20 cars were broken into in one night!)

I am sure many of us can give account of having been victim of crime or having witnessed offenses being committed. Before you ask whether people have reported those crimes or offenses – yes, many people have but there are too many accounts of how a large chunk of those reports were ignored, disregarded or not dealt with in a professional or efficient manner. Before you tell me that the RCIPS can’t battle crime without the support of the community, I would like to hear for a change what it is RCIPS can do, rather than always hearing or reading about what they can’t do.

The first priority must be to get crime under control and the new governor must be made aware accordingly, since the governor is ultimately responsible for the RCIPS. The RCIPS, along with the Legal Department, must be cleaned out as needs be. The people who were hired based on their “qualifications” and “expertise” must deliver or get out. When cleaning house, don’t work your way from the bottom up, work your way from the top down! There is no more time for creating committees and compiling statistics. Talks about the cruise ship docks are in vain if we have to worry that the tourists will be mugged when strolling along the beach.

Preventative measures must be put in place to discourage crime to begin with. The constant knee-jerk reactions and band-aid applications are getting as nowhere. HMP Northward must be run like a prison and not like a hotel where the prisoners can have funky hairstyles and wear shades, have access to areas where they shouldn’t be and where contraband is smuggled on a regular basis. What better way to demonstrate that the police mean business than by being out on the roads and enforcing the traffic laws every day? Court cases must be moved along and a trial should not go on for two plus years to be completed. If someone is charged with a crime, it shouldn’t take a year before the case is processed in the courts.

We need to see the RCIPS and Legal Department doing their job so we can all live once again in a country where daily law and order prevails and where it is demonstrated that crime does not pay. At the moment, it is the ones who are following the laws and regulations, the ones who earn an honest living who are made to feel like fools and the criminals are having a good laugh.

Dear elected MLAs and ministers, as Van Morrison said in one of his songs, “There is no past, there is only future, there is only here, there is only now!” Don’t focus on the past and what the previous administrations have done or not done. Focus on the now and the future and let us see that you meant what you said during your election campaigns. We put our trust in you, don’t let us down!

What business can be more important than to ensure the safety of the residents and visitors of the Cayman Islands?

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West Bay

West Bay at one time was the most popular district in the Island. We had a movie theatre, we had skating a rink, we had ice cream parlors, we had nightclubs yet we had little or no crime to speak of. There was no religious hypocrisy as there seems to be today. People respected the Sabbath, whether one observed it on Saturday or on Sunday. We listened to the teachings of God's Word, and not the word of our political leaders.

Today we have let some of them lead us down the path of destruction! Seldom questioning anything they tell us, seeming never to listen to the good advice given by those who try to warn us of  the dangers ahead on this path we're following.

We see the social upheaval  that has  come about  causing these things that are now manifesting themselves in our  society. They are happening throughout the Island, but to a greater extent in West Bay. We  scream and yell about the things that we see happening, but no one seems to listen when others  express their concerns. We see the decadence that has gradually crept into our  homes, our neighborhood, our district and our Island.   

And we call it prosperity!

At this point, we must pause and ask ourselves why and how could these awful things creep into that peaceful and caring community that we knew up until a few decades ago. Why did we not  see the dangers of a rapidly growing population and the importation of foreign customs and habits that caused us to lose that very special something that caused us to be known as the friendliest island in the Caribbean, and that special moniker, 'The Island that time forgot'?

It all happened quite suddenly. And it happened because we became so occupied with the pursuit  of material wealth that we could find no time for anything else. We adapted the mores and habits of those whom we so graciously welcomed and accepted in our Island. We forgot to spend time with our family, especially our kids. We let them have anything they asked for because we could afford it, thinking this is what our kids needed. Thinking this was love. How sad!

Caymanians! {meaning "ALL" of us} We must  adopt a new way of thinking, a way which will lead us back to those social mores and habits that caused us to love and care for each other, those wonderful qualities that made us seem like one big family — a family that lived in that little village which helped us raise our children.

Please, Please, Please! Take the time to hug your kids and tell them: "I love you". 

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Sex Education – how much is enough?

As teenagers begin their journey, with added pressures to growing up, not only do their hormones work over time, but there are many physical changes taking place in the body structure. Developing sex organs make the teenager curious to explore these changes. Added to this, there is often a curiosity to indulge in what is forbidden.

Sexual activity combined with the absence of knowledge to control these impulses brings the sexual arena into constant focus among teens. For these reasons it is of paramount importance that teens have access to sex education at schools in the Cayman Islands. Unfortunately, this information is not freely available to teenagers, who are at the most vulnerable and impressionable age of their lives. Uninformed teenagers are most likely to make poor decisions that will drastically change their lives forever.

Teen pregnancy in the Cayman Islands has historically been shrouded by ignorance on the issue. It is a common belief that “teenage pregnancy only happens to the person with multiple partners” or “not my child”. This is so far from the truth that it is not even funny.

The illusion that Cayman is of Christian heritage and the notion that sexual intercourse is the forbidden fruit that is restricted from teenagers until marriage has added to the censorship of sexual education being taught at our schools on a full time basis. Some parents are unwilling to have an open mind to frank and open discussions needed in educating teenagers, and their unwillingness to engage their teens adds to the frustration the policy makers, educators and counselors are experiencing when they are brought in to clean up this mess – after the fact.

Studies show that informed teenagers will make better decisions if they have knowledge of the relevant facts. So why are parents blocking this process? Is it because they themselves were not exposed to this educational process? Or is it the fear of losing their child? Some parents are sheltering the child and thus avoiding the issues. They argue that this is a better approach than having regular sex education classes taught in schools for fear of creating a rush to have premature sexual encounters. Regrettably, this attitude is causing more harm than good.

In Cayman, the stats shows that most teenage pregnancies stem from single parent homes. A third of the teens who get pregnant have experiencedsome sort of negative sexual experience, either in the form of rape, incest or sexual abuse, and have had problems with the law. Some teens get pregnant to escape an abusive and violent home life. A very small number get pregnant because they want to. The highest numbers of teens that end up getting pregnant is usually due to carelessness, and without the use of condoms.

Teens are going to have sex regardless of the restrictions placed on them. A comprehensive sex education plan has to be implemented at schools that will cover all areas of risk and consequences, including the various types of protection, negotiation skills, awareness of sex offenders, infectious diseases, and financial responsibility.  Details on how to correctly wear a condom is essential. So having these lessons taught in schools with open discussions in class with peers sends a strong message, as everyone will be on the same page, rather than trying to teach this to your child in isolation. Having the added benefit of parental support at home and in the school will better educate teenagers on these issues and better prepare them for the real world.

Teenage pregnancy in Cayman is high when compared to other Caribbean Islands, which confirms the need for more to be done. Teenagers will talk to their peers and unauthorized sources to get the answers to their questions when parents are not approachable, this will increase the chances of risky behaviors. If the schools are not allowed to teach and give them the information, then who will?

Teenagers are vulnerable due to their lack of wisdom and their exposure to all sorts of influences that will cloud their judgment and prevent them making the right decision whenever the occasion presents itself. Teens need to be taught how to negotiate out of compromising propositions and have the skills necessary to make responsible decisions. Recent trends pose fundamental concerns about the health and social development of children born to young women. When teens get pregnant and quit school to support their young family, they do not complete their education. As a result, the teen mother and the society both lose. The child often then repeats this cycle when they become of childbearing age.

The teen culture has changed and we as a society must change in order to address this growing problem.  Finding appropriate responses to these problems has been made all the more complex by the social revolution brought by rapid modernization. People in Cayman are more prosperous than some other Caribbean Islands but attitudes toward sex, motherhood and public policy are still influenced by yesterday’s traditional norms.

Teens are bullied by other teens, and when a teen is accused of being a virgin they might resolve to have premature sex to fit in. The gap between the ‘haves’ and the ‘have nots’ puts financial pressure on teens to accept gifts, which can lead to manipulation and sexual favors.  The teen that is ‘hot’ and the teen that is not often leads to promiscuous behaviour. Who can afford a blackberry and who cannot? These might seem like simple gripes by adult standards but to teenagers these are major issues and if not taken seriously will add to them developing low self-esteem that can accelerate the rate of risky behaviors. A teen that is experiencing these issues might also turn to drugs and alcohol, which have the effect of lowering a person’s ability to say no, thereby creating another set of problems for the teen and society.

There is no limit to the amount of sexually education needed for teenagers. They are doing it and society has to talk about it. Today’s teen culture and the pressures they face are the driving factors to stop the ignorance and give this issue the attention it rightly deserves.

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