CONTEMPORARY SOCIAL ISSUES.pptx

CONTEMPORARY SOCIAL ISSUES Distinction College Social issues ◦ A social issue is defined as an issue that is widespread and has serious consequences, directly or indirectly, for a large section of the population. Concern about a social issue may arise because it: ◦ involves what many consid...

CONTEMPORARY SOCIAL ISSUES Distinction College Social issues ◦ A social issue is defined as an issue that is widespread and has serious consequences, directly or indirectly, for a large section of the population. Concern about a social issue may arise because it: ◦ involves what many consider to be unacceptable behaviour ◦ indicates a decline in moral standards or an abandonment of traditional values ◦ has serious financial implications that affect how public money is spent. Strategies to deal with social issues you need to: ◦ identify the issue ◦ understand how it might have arisen ◦ analyse its implications for society ◦ generate possible solutions which address the causes of the issue and the needs of those involved. Teenage pregnancy ◦ Teenage pregnancy is seen as a social issue when unplanned pregnancies upset a young person's life and when there are higher than normal rates of health concerns including: ◦ ◦ foetal death (a stillborn baby) ◦ infant mortality (where the child dies before its first birthday) ◦ infant morbidity (where the child is prone to sickness) ◦ health risks for the mother. Probable Causes of Teenage Pregnancy ◦ Lack of religious and moral education ◦ broken homes where the impact of socialization of children by both parents is weakened, ◦ lack of education on the disadvantages of sexual activity prior to marriage; CONSEQUENCES ◦ Teenagers invariably lack the social and psychological maturity to raise children effectively. ◦ Education and training are shortened, leading to the cycle of poverty. ◦ Teenagers do not always possess the financial resources required to maintain children. Street children ◦ Street children who have a home to go to away from the streets are sometimes called children on the street. ◦Those without a home are children of the street, for the latter group, the street is where they eat, sleep and find friendship and security. These different situations call for slightly different responses. ◦ Children end up on the streets for a number of reasons: ◦ If they are orphaned and have no one to care for them, the streets sometimes offer a good option in terms of simply surviving. ◦ Children from violent or desperately poor homes may decide that they will fare better on the streets. ◦ Sometimes these children will keep in touch with their family back at home and may even return there to bring some money or material contribution to the household. Activities of Street Children ◦ Because of the lack of marketable skills, and being below the age to be legally employed, street children find it difficult to secure permanent jobs. They therefore engage in the following activities to earn a living: ◦ begging for money and food ◦ stealing from pedestrians and vendors prostitution ◦ selling illegal drugs. Solution ◦ The following may be considered as feasible propositions: ◦ Introduction of an intensive family planning programme. ◦ Governments must address poverty and unemployment as matters of priority. ◦ Religious, moral and family-life education must become compulsory. ◦ Universal education, especially for the poor and disadvantaged, must be pursued by the provision of free books, meals, uniform and transport. ◦ Foster homes should be provided for abandoned children. Alternative lifestyles ◦ Making an alternative lifestyle choice simply means choosing to live all or part of life outside what might be considered to be societal norms. ◦ These norms are also subject to changes from influences within society and what was once considered alternative may become mainstream. ◦ People may choose to lead a very simple life, shunning a 'normal' path of career development, money earning and acquisition of possessions. Depending on how extreme the lifestyle choice is, issues may arise regarding how these persons and society relate. Substance abuse ◦ Substances associated with abuse are those that alter the emotional or physical state. Common substances used for this purpose include legal ones, such as alcohol and tobacco, and illegal ones, such as marijuana and cocaine. ◦ People use these substances because they experience beneficial effects. However, misuse and abuse can seriously damage a user's health and well- being and many of the substances are addictive. ◦In physical addiction a user's body begins to react to the absence of the substance and in psychological addiction a person craves the pleasurable effects associated with the use of the substance. ◦An alcoholic's work and family life often suffer and they may experience: ◦impairment to functioning of certain vital organs, such as the liver and pancreas ◦increased risk of certain cancers ◦depression ◦poor judgement Strategies for tackling substance abuse should include education, law enforcement and punishment. ◦ Governments should ensure that people, especially children and young adults, are aware of all the dangers associated with these activities. An effective education programme needs to work alongside measures to reduce the availability of illegal drugs and to limit access to legal substances by underage users. ◦Services that help those who already abuse different substances to stop and also seek to rehabilitate them back into society, education or employment should also be available. Juvenile Delinquency ◦A juvenile is defined as an individual under the age of eighteen (18), whereas juvenile delinquents are persons under the age of eighteen who engage in negative activities. ◦ These include: ◦drug abuse stealing ◦robbery with violence use of obscene language ◦gambling ◦defacing property possession of pornographic materials sexual permissiveness CAUSES ◦ Many studies have been conducted with a view of throwing some light on why youngsters become delinquents. There is increasing evidence that this is a reaction to growing up in dysfunctional families where children are unwanted, unloved, abused, and humiliated. SOLUTIONS ◦ counselling and rehabilitation an education system that builds self-esteem and is sensitive to students with emotional problems applying moral education and emotional support to change destructive behaviour building of communities with an emphasis on sports and recreational activities. Sexually Transmitted Diseases (STDs) ◦ Sexually Transmitted Diseases (STDs), as the name suggests, are diseases transmitted during sexual intercourse from one infected partner to another. Some STDs which are prevalent in the Caribbean include Chlamydia, Gonorrhoea, Syphilis, HIV/AIDS, Genital Herpes and Hepatitis B. Of the diseases, Genital Herpes, Hepatitis B and HIV/AIDS are caused by viruses for which there are no available cures. The others are caused by bacteria for which medical science has provided remedies. ◦(HIV) which causes AIDS, lives in the semen, vaginal secretion and saliva of infect persons. It is transferred from an infected person to a healthy one in the following ways: ◦injection with an infected needle blood transfusion with contaminated ◦breastfeeding from mother from mother to child during pregnancy ◦ Early symptoms include: ◦prolonged fatigue and tiredness ◦swollen lymph glands ◦fever ◦sweating at nights SOLUTIONS ◦ Individuals should protect themselves by: abstaining from sexual activity outside of marriage; desisting from intravenous drug use; limiting sexual activity to one AIDS-free partner; educating oneself on the causes, consequences and ways of preventing AIDS. Domestic violence ◦ Domestic violence refers to physical, emotional, sexual and economic abuse which is perpetrated by one member of a family upon another. This includes child and/or spousal abuse. ◦ It must be noted that the abuse of women by men is more prevalent than acts committed by women against men. ◦Examples of abuse ◦Physical abuse ◦preventing/forcing victim from earning an income, managing/controlling victim's salaries/wages, witholding money for basic necessities, preventing victim from accessing education, destruction of victim's possessions ◦Emotional — threats to maim or murder, humiliation in front of others, name-calling (whore etc.), isolation from friends/relatives ◦Verbal or emotional abuse is as damaging as physical abuse. ◦Sexual — forced sexual intercourse, coercion into unsafe sexual activities, imposition of degrading sexual activity. CAUSES ◦Lack of religious and moral training ◦LOSS of power and control brought on by marginalization of the male ◦Abusers were exposed to it when younger. Protecting oneself from abuse ◦Do not be in denial — read the signs of abuse and decide/accept whether you are in an abusive relationship. ◦If in doubt or fear, call a domestic violence hotline for help and advice. ◦Halfway houses run by NGO's provide shelter, advice and financial assistance. What is abuse? ◦ Child abuse is defined as the mistreatment of a young child or young person under 18 years of age. ◦Child abuse can take the following forms: ◦Physical — hitting, punching, kicking, shaking, harming or hurting a child, e.g., pulling ears, pinching ◦Verbal/emotional — constant insults, cursing, name calling, excessively ignoring, confinement in closets, bondage in chains ◦Sexual — inappropriate touching, fondling, oral stimulation, sexual intercourse, incest, child pornography and sexual exploitation ◦Neglect — depriving a child of food, clothing, education, medical care, love and affection ◦Abandonment — leaving a child alone or unattended. Signs of Child Abuse ◦Unexplained bruises, cuts or fractures on different parts of the body ◦Behavioural changes, such as aggression or withdrawal from activities, friends or family ◦Depression - constant fatigue ◦Stealing - e.g., food, money, clothing What to do when a child says he/she has been abused? ◦ Believe the child until evidence suggests otherwise. Remember, research shows children rarely lie about abuse. ◦ Be calm. Do not express shock, panic or disbelief. ◦ Find a private place to talk. Assure the child that telling someone was the right thing to do.  Incest ◦Is sexual intercourse between siblings or parents and children. ◦Some sociologists include relationships t between step-brothers and sisters and stepparents or adoptive parents and children, as well as biologically related family members. ◦Given the extent of 'reorganized families' and other families that include step- parents, it is important that legislation regarding incest reflects the situation in contemporary Caribbean family life. ◦ Studies show that the issue of incest cuts across all boundaries of social status, education, income level or religious affiliation.  Desertion ◦ Desertion occurs when one person from a relationship leaves without intending to return. ◦ Most cases of desertion involve a man leaving his family but it is sometimes the woman who leaves. In most cases desertion produces a single-parent family or, if a single parent deserts, then a sibling family. ◦Both are difficult situations for those involved, even if an extended family can take over some roles and responsibilities. ◦The issue is also a social problem when there is: ◦Disruption to families and their contribution to a stable society ◦A need for financial support from the government ◦A negative effect on any children, their socialization and their education. Human trafficking ◦Human trafficking is a situation whereby people are kidnapped or abducted from their place of residence and transferred to another where they are sold or forced into menial or degrading occupations with little or no pay. ◦In some instances, people are tricked into leaving their homes with the promise of a better life, only to find themselves exploited in a strange place and among strange people who institute systems which make it difficult for them to escape. ◦These include confiscation of their money, passports and cell phones. ◦Victims of human trafficking are exposed to the following: ◦Women are forced into prostitution. ◦Females are forced into domestic labour or marriage. ◦Children of both sexes are coerced into slave labour and/or used in producing pornographic materials.  ERADICATING -HUMAN TRAFFICKING ◦ This can be done by: ◦Passing of laws with severe penalties for those found guilty of involvement in human trafficking ◦Special training of immigration officers to empower them to detect fraudulent travel documents ◦Greater surveillance of territorial boundaries to prevent illegal entry through the 'back door‘.  SUICIDE ◦ Suicide crosses alt boundaries of age, sex, religion, race, educational status and occupation. ◦ Most people who commit suicide do so after spending a lot of time contemplating the act. ◦ The majority of people who threaten to commit suicide actually do so. ◦ Many people who attempt suicide do not want to die; they do so as a means of getting attention. ◦ Individuals are more likely to commit suicide if friends, relatives or neighbours have previously set the example. RISK FACTORS THAT PROMOTE SUICIDAL TENDENCIES ◦Prolonged or incurable illness ◦Loss of employment ◦Broken marriage or intimate friendship ◦Infidelity of spouse/partner ◦Alcoholism and drug abuse PREVENTING SUICIDE ◦Families should introduce offspring to religious teachings from an early age. ◦Community support services at temple, and community centres should be introduced to provide counselling to the suicidal. ◦Education in schools and through the mass on all aspects of suicide, including the experiences of those who have survived the ingestion of toxic substances, may serve as a deterrent.  Drug Dilemma ◦A drug is a chemical substance which is used for curing or relieving illnesses in human beings and animals. Medical science has advanced to the stage where drugs have been discovered for curing or preventing almost all conceivable ailments. REASONS FOR DRUG ABUSE ◦ Curiosity and experimentation peer pressure ◦ Persuasive advertisements (especially for tobacco and alcohol) ◦Apart from the health hazards mentioned, drug abuse has other far-reaching consequences: ◦Family life is destroyed as addicts usually engage in neglect and abuse of family members. ◦Productivity at the workplace suffers due to absenteeism and lack of concentration. ◦Government expenditure in curing for various types of ailments caused by drug abuse could be put to alternative uses.  POVERTY ◦Poverty in the family may be defined as the inability of the members to provide for themselves the basic needs of food, clothing, shelter, education and medical care. ◦Individuals and families in such a situation are deemed to be living below the poverty line. ◦ Most people would agree that poverty means an inability to meet basic needs for food, shelter, clothing, health and education. ◦People who are unable to meet these needs are said to be below 'the poverty line' and to be in 'absolute poverty): ◦A type of poverty known as 'relative poverty' deprives people of a standard of living that would be acceptable in the surrounding culture and prevents them r from access to ordinary living patterns, activities and customs.  SPECIAL NEEDS ◦Disabilities in persons stem from a number of factors. ◦Some children are born with defects such as Cerebral Palsy, which leads to loss of mobility, and Down Syndrome, which results in mental retardation. ◦Alzheimer's disease is common among the elderly and manifests itself with loss of memory due to the death of brain cells. ◦Some people become disabled through accidents/ mishaps at home, on the road or at the workplace. ◦Blindness and hearing impairment are disabilities which exist at birth in some, but can also develop through diseases or negligence. ◦ In the Caribbean, people with disabilities experience discrimination in a number of areas. These include: ◦ The unwillingness of employers to hire people with disabilities. Even though academic requirements are met, firms refuse to employ the disabled because there are no facilities to accommodate them. ◦Lack of facilities to assist the disabled to access public transport.  Family laws ◦ focus on family -related issues such as: ◦inheritance ◦childcare ◦the establishment and legitimization of a union, such as; marriage ◦the ending of a relationship and issues arising from this such as financial settlements and child custody ◦domestic violence.  Laws related to inheritance ◦Inheritance is the money or property that passes from a deceased person to his or her successors. ◦A legal instrument, known as a will, describes the way in which any inheritance is to be divided up. Anyone who receives an inheritance in this way is known as a beneficiary of the will. A will protects the rights of a spouse and children and prevents relatives of the deceased not mentioned in the document from claiming money or property that does not belong to them.  Laws related to childcare ◦ Legislation regarding childcare establishes a duty on parents to provide maintenance for any children they have up to a specified age limit, usually 18. This support can be extended beyond the age limit if a child needs assistance in order to complete his or her education or if he or she has a physical or mental disability. ◦ A parent usually has financial responsibilities under law, regardless of nature of their relationship with the 0th parent. If a girl has a child but is not in a permanent relationship with the father then, provided paternity can be proved she should receive maintenance money to help provide for the child.  Laws related to Divorce ◦ Divorce is the legal termination of a marriage and it is the only way in which a legal marriage can be ended. ◦When a marriage is ended this is called an annulment. To annul a marriage a court must be satisfied that the marriage relationship has failed and there is no chance of reconciliation between the marriage partners. ◦This is usually referred to as an 'irretrievable breakdown of the marriage'. There are several possible causes for the breakdown including adultery, cruelty or desertion. A person seeking a divorce is known as a petitioner and the burden of proof rests with this person. ◦Divorce laws require that one party makes payments in support of the other if that other party is unable to support themselves for any of the following reasons: ◦that person has to take care of a child or children from the marriage under 18 ◦the party is unable to work to support themselves because of their age or due to a mental or physical condition ◦any other reason deemed to be reasonable by the courts. ◦ Money paid by one party in support of another is known as alimony or maintenance and sometimes as spousal support.  Laws related to legal separation ◦ A legal separation does not end a marriage but gives the two parties involved certain legal rights. These usually concern such aspects as division of property, levels of maintenance payments and, if there are children from the marriage, access rights.  Laws related to domestic violence ◦ Laws relating to domestic violence seek to protect victims' rights and to prevent and punish acts of violence. ◦ Domestic violence laws are being amended to protect individuals in relationships other than legal marriages as new forms of union are recognised. The definition of violence is also being broadened to include a wide range of unacceptable behaviour other than simple physical violence. ◦Domestic violence legislation seeks to protect anyone who suffers domestic violence, male or female. However, since domestic violence is largely suffered by women at the hands of men, many laws focus on preserving women's rights and are evolving in line with international agreements regarding human rights and discrimination. FAMILIES IN OUR HISTORICAL PAST ◦Since many of our family structures have their origins in our historical past, it will prove interesting to review what existed in the days of old. We will then examine the factors responsible for the various observable changes. THE AMERINDIAN FAMILY ◦ The Caribbean men and women of today, have come a long way ◦ Our Amerindian women folk in the homes and fields they had to work. ◦ Weeding, planting, harvesting they did until old. Leadership positions they could not hold ◦ Hammocks, pottery and baskets they made. Always fearful of being abducted in a tribal raid. ◦ The men folk went hunting and fishing for food to feed the extended family in the tribal brood. ◦How is today's family similar to or different from the Amerindian family? THE EUROPEAN FAMILY The Europeans who came to the Caribbean and founded the plantation economy Belonged to the middle and upper classes in the social hierarchy They brought with them the teachings of Christianity So they got married in churches with pomp and glory Spouses were selected from among their own race', it was a case of endogamy Such marriage was approved by society and considered legal by the authority. Upon marriage they formed a nuclear family Husbands were the head of the family, known as patriarchy. Wives were mainly homemakers; their role in the family was secondary. For a White female to be promiscuous was considered a sin by their society. Though with the slave women the White males took many a liberty The influence of this society is considered a historical legacy. ◦How is today's family similar to or different from the Amerindian family? THE EUROPEAN FAMILY The Europeans who came to the Caribbean and founded the plantation economy Belonged to the middle and upper classes in the social hierarchy They brought with them the teachings of Christianity So they got married in churches with pomp and glory. Such marriage was approved by society and considered legal by the authority Upon marriage they formed a nuclear family Husbands were the head of the family, known as patriarchy Wives were mainly homemakers; their role in the family was secondary. For a White female to be promiscuous was considered a sin by their society Though with the slave women the White males took many a liberty The influence of this society is considered a historical legacy.  THE FAMILY UNDER SLAVERY ◦ I was captured and brought from my land Africa ◦ In the Caribbean I was sold as a slave to a plantation owner ◦ Here we worked and worked and got no pay. Our life experiences I leave you to survey ◦ transport and mill the cane, and after a day's work our whole body was in pain. ◦ The second gang comprised pregnant slaves who were older and weaker, ◦ But weeding and cleaning the fields was not any easier, ◦  The Indentured Family ◦From 1845 to 1917 they came ◦ To toil in the fields of sugar cane ◦ Many females faced sexual harassment in the barracks ◦ Yet with hoes and cutlasses they worked together Planting, weeding and harvesting in any weather. ◦Women cooked and cleaned in these shacks ◦ Their father's name did not appear on their birth certificates ◦What characteristics of the family during indenture ship are similar to or different from today's family?  CHARACTERISTICS OF FAMILY UNDER SLAVERY ◦ Slaves were not allowed to marry. ◦Owners of slaves forbade the practice. ◦Any relationships between male and female slaves were unofficial. ◦ Owners, overseers and White employees on the estate were very promiscuous with female slaves. ◦ White males almost always never cared for their offspring born of slaves. Present Influence ◦Promiscuous male, imitating the actions of the Whites during the days of slavery. ◦ Fathers sometimes unwilling to provide for children when separation or divorce occurs. ◦ Marriage is a phenomenon representative of individuals of the upper class in society. ◦ Grandmothers and mothers are shouldered with the responsibility of socializing children.