Jamaica land we love!

In a country known for its rich culture in sports,

cuisine, academics and music. Jamaica land we love is still plagued with
many issues. Such an issue is that of fatherlessness. Martin Henry in his
article entitled The cost of absent fathers remarked that in Jamaica
currently the single mother has been elevated to the status of National Hero.
She is right up there with Nanny of the Maroons.
Good Afternoon Ladies and Gentlemen,
It is on this basis that I selected the topic The effects of fatherlessness on
Jamaican Children from the theme Fatherlessness. During the speech I
intend to define the terms father and fatherless. In addition to this I will
explore the causes and effects of fatherlessness. Lastly I will evaluate the
sources used and share the challenges faced during the preparation of this
speech.
Martin Henry in his article entitled The Cost of Absent Fathers defines the
word father in terms of a role played instead of merely a person. The role is
to provide strength , stability and support to the family. It seems however
that the word father in Jamaica only appears frequently after the word baby.
Hence to be fatherless is the state where there is no active father in an
individuals life.
There are many reasons for Absentee Fathers. The primary reason is that of
the lack of commitment or non-commitment made by males that is the
father. The word marriage implies commitment and commitment
emphatically implies loyalty and fidelity. A large portion of males are not
ready for this. This is shown in 2011 Census. The statistics from the Census
shows that 24 % of the total population of Jamaicans is married. Furthermore
that 80 percent of Jamaican children are born outside of marriage. The 2011
Census raises great concern. Jamaica displays a national lack towards
commitment. The static would not be as bad if the 80 % of children born
outside of marriage had homes in which there was a permanent and stable
structure. But in many cases this is not so! I should mention that I had talks
with children in my community who had absentee fathers and from the many
questions asked it lines up with information give above.
The BJS (Bureau of Justice Statics) states that:
85% of all children that exhibit behavioural disorders come from fatherless
homes;
63% of children suicides are from fatherless homes;

70% of juveniles in state facilities come from fatherless homes;

85% of all incarcerated youths grew up in a fatherless home.

Edward Kruk in his book Divorced Fathers: Children's Needs and Parental
Responsibilities states that children from fatherless homes have diminished
self-concepts. Meaning they feel small or insignificant about themselves.
Furthermore they suffer physically and emotionally wise with this sad reality.
As a result many develop an intimidating persona and often become bullies.
The effects of fatherlessness like the causes are numerous.
I will now evaluate the sources used in terms of reliability, credibility and
validity. In preparing my research the following sources were used:
-

Questions asked to youths with absentee fathers The information

obtained was credible as the children interviewed all had the situation
of absentee fathers and as such they were more than abled comment
on it. The information obtained was reliable because if a similar
approach is taken or information is researched by this way the results
can be replicated. The information obtained is valid is it directly speaks
to the topic being addressed making it logical.
Article written by Martin Henry- The information from the article was
credible as Martin Henry is a columnist for the Gleaner since
1987(Spending or being a columnist for such a long time at such a
known company, he has is more than qualified). In addition to this he
has lectured at UWI and UTECH in communication courses. The
information from the article is reliable as when compared to other
articles on the same topic it showed similar results. Lastly it is valid as
it directly speaks to the topic being addressed making it logical.
2011 Census- The information from the census is credible as it is
approved by the government and the government is the official body of
our country making it more the qualified. The information from the
census is reliable as the results were similar to the results of other
countries and the previous census in 2001. The information used from
the census is valid as it speaks to the topic being addressed making it
logical.
The few problems incurred during this research were that of:
The unwillingness of some youths to cooperate.
The fact that the week before my internet was faulty and set me back
an additional three days.
The factor of time management.
In concluding the information presented was based on the theme
Fatherlessness. There are many causes and effects associated with
this issue that affects children.