Fathers crucial to strong family units – Webster

Human Services Minister Jennifer Webster on Monday underscored the importance of a father figure in the development of a strong family unit as she relaunched the commission on the family at Cara Lodge, Georgetown.
The work programme for the National Family Commission (NFC) was put forward under the slogan “Contributing to the stability of family life”.
Webster said that the commission has been mandated to address issues pertaining to the family, particularly issues such as what is the significance of promoting good family life, parenting, leadership, social interaction in the home; and addressing the issue of gender-based violence. “The protection, of our women and children and other social issues that do have a direct daily impact upon our lives as members of this society and our nation as a whole are a part of this mandate,” she stated.
Minister Webster said human resources are a country’s most valuable asset and therefore, it is important to recognise that the social services are of utmost importance.“The work of this commission is, therefore, fundamental towards working to further improve the social and moral fabric of our society. I am aware that the work of this commission will reach throughout the length and breadth of Guyana,” she commented.
Webster said parents and society at large, therefore, need to nurture their children to ensure that they are given equal opportunities and treatment. “We perpetuate the prejudice, for example, that girls should stay indoors and assist with household chores whilst boys are allowed to play outside,” she noted. When this happens, it reinforces the unnatural separations which are seen in the world where women are disproportionately saddled with household duties.
If girls are most likely to be absent from school in order to care for family members, the cycle of economic inequity for women and its attendant lack of independence and autonomy will continue. Therefore, there is a role here for everyone to play, she stressed.

Fathers shape children’s expectations
Turning her attention to fathers, she reminded them:  “As a father, you are the first man that a child interacts with and how you will treat your child will forever shape that child’s expectations about how he/she should be treated.”
The minister implored all fathers and mothers to be cognisant of their roles and to encourage and facilitate the discovery of their children’s true potential. She stated that the education system too has a role to play by reinforcing these messages through health and family life education in the curriculum.
“Whether you’re are a parent or grandparent, a relative, a friend, an elder, spending a few extra moments mentoring a child can have an incomparable and indelible impact upon the shape of that child’s life in the future,” the minister emphasised. She challenged persons to think about the children in their lives and to take a little extra time on a daily basis to talk to them and influence future leaders of our country.

Improve quality of life
Dr Kwame Gilbert, who is tasked with chairing the commission for the next year, said since the appointment of the NFC, members have met several times to decide on their specific mandate, as informed by Cabinet, and also in response to societal needs.
He said the NFC’s mission is to improve the quality of life in the Guyanese society through the promotion of stable and cohesive families. “Our mission statement is to give greater recognition to the role that the family unit plays in the evolution of contemporary society, and to honour the family’s function, to enhance its role, and to strive for the well-being of its members,” the chairman stated.
Dr Gilbert said in the current composition of society, there is an indisputable reality that many homes are headed by single mothers. He noted that the commission seeks to promote the stable and functional families.
“We recognise that it is important for us in our articulation not to establish an esteemed one family image as necessarily being ideal, while discriminating against other family types,” he said.
According to Gilbert, the objectives of the NFC include strengthening the capacity of families to carry out the basic functions of production, reproduction, and socialisation; and advocating for and empowering families, particularly those comprising single parents and disabled or dependent members. He said the NFC is there to ensure that the basic needs of all families, including health, nutrition, and shelter are met at all costs.
“We should be able to understand the challenges some families face, particularly economic challenges that makes it difficult for them to meet the basic needs of education and health…. Our task is not necessarily to provide the resources needed, but to ensure that we promote and seek to create the environment in which focus would be brought to how these needs can be met,” he explained.
In addition he said, the commission will be seeking to promote parental responsibility by strengthening the role of the father and encouraging shared parenting between the two parents.
Members of the commission include Trenetta Scott, Aleema Nasir, Bibi Ganni, Charles Quintin, Cyril Belgrave, and Dr Vindhya Persaud.