DeFreitas raps Government, family, community and church for failing to instill moral values in the Nation’s children

Youth advocate Franz deFreitas says the society has to share the blame for the level of delinquency that now exists among the Nation’s young people.

In recent months, there has been a dramatic upsurge in crime among the youth, with a 13-year-old being a suspect in a rape investigation, while a 16-year-old has been charged for murder.  

And only today, Friday, May 26, an 11-year-old was reported to have been among four youth who allegedly were involved in an attempted arson in Villa.

DeFreitas says the crisis in which the country now finds itself is the result of actions that demonstrate the lack of proper moral values.

Not only is the Government complicit, but parents, families, the extended community, and the infrastructure of the church are all at fault for the amoral manner in which children are being reared, de Freitas charges.

Meanwhile, de Freitas, the United Progressive Party caretaker for St. John’s City South, believes the Browne Administration has dropped the ball with regard to a proper holding facility for youth accused of crime.

At present, the teenager accused of the capital offence is on remand at His Majesty’s Prison – although being housed apart from the adult population.

DeFreitas says he is shocked that, to date, no one has mounted a legal challenge about the absence of a suitable facility for juvenile delinquents, as is prescribed by the law.