Africa-Press – Mauritius. We are witnessing more and more a resurgence of tragedies leading to unprecedented domestic violence in a society which is nonetheless ‘civilized’ and to barbaric crimes which shock the nation and leave entire families in distress and precariousness with extreme moral suffering and social consequences.
How was it possible to achieve this degree of degradation despite the developments which brought the country out of economic underdevelopment and gave a little more well-being to those at the bottom of the ladder? Is it a question of education, culture or a lack of psychological and sociological assistance or social organization of our communities?
Yet there is a Ministry of Social Security which manages a budget in the billions and funds for retirement pensions and social assistance for widows, handicapped, and invalids.
Even if education has been made accessible and free for all for more than 40 years already, there is still a certain percentage of illiteracy and school failure at the primary and secondary levels which is at the origin of historical social inequalities. and impoverishment. This scourge must be eradicated in a society of opulence of other well-off classes.
The process of the disunited family and economic independence with access to a job for all has also influenced another lifestyle, more materialistic and selfish, and gave rise to more misunderstanding, lack of dialogue to the family and solidarity table, which engendered frustration and seclusion in another existential universe and considerably increased those left behind.
Add to that as hobbies and to pass the time, movies of low moral content, violent video games and mobile telephony with all kinds of networks that occupy the mind anytime and anywhere.
In the couple there are antagonistic attitudes, hidden infidelities and disenchantment that shake family harmony and the social fabric. Alcohol and drugs also continue to wreak havoc on society.
This is where the bad living takes its source and unwanted words that are difficult to digest overflow and take on the appearance of violent behavior.
All this leads to unfortunate acts that cost the lives of the weakest without weapons or defense. The authorities investigate, condemn, sanction, rehabilitate.
But prevention is much better than punishing and healing. You only need to analyze the most atrocious cases to find out where the shoe pinches. There needs to be spiritual renewal, and it is society itself that must take over.
All denominations and religious federations must prepare the community with respect for life and the teachings of the values of their religion. Many have done so since the establishment of their religious and cultural institutions.
Let us salute their vocation and their parochial work, such as the development of spiritual centers and parks, and the organization of retreats. Religious leaders and priests have their role to play from the top of their praetorium and within their community (s) because they are the shepherds of their flock.
Should each community organize training sessions for young people, adults, couples, workers, employees in order to better educate them in human behavior on selected themes?
Let’s start at the grassroots, in a national effort to limit cases of violence through a psychological, sociological and spiritual approach. The church and the temples have been there for millennia for the safeguarding of life and the evangelization of society in the precepts of social life.
From an early age, civic education, scouting (with the association of girl guides, for example), religious values, socialization and mental health, a sense of family, preparation for marriage and parental education, attendance at churches and temples on a level other than the ritual dimension in work halls, respect for the elderly and the elderly, culture and universal philosophy, community actions and good living together.
The time has come no longer to recognize the scourges but to eradicate them and to invest heavily in people and in social organization in future government budgets.
The Ministry of Social Affairs must be the supervisor to integrate all the services under one roof. The social must become a priority like that of the environment and must be superimposed on the economic.
Should we rethink the activities of community centers and their management and convert them into Leisure and Culture Centers like the “Leisure and Culture Center” complex at Mont Plaisir in Rodrigues for specialized support services in various areas, the organization of cultural activities with art workshops and classical and modern music, theater and dance halls, libraries and other conference rooms, IT, spaces for meditation, reading and writing, seminars, literacy and nutrition classes, parenting and aging well, group therapy and allocating a large chunk of the national budget to fund these activities.
There has been enough investment in the physical infrastructure of roads, road transport and sports complexes that has swallowed up billions every year.
It is now a question of raising the cultural level of all and of engaging society as a whole, government, religions and civil and voluntary associations to promote an integral social development at a higher level.
In conclusion, these few proposals should help to leave the usual comfort zone to turn to what is becoming more and more urgent to implement. All social services should be integrated under one roof into a Ministry of Security and Social Affairs.
Staff specializing in sociology, psychology, gerontology, social advisers and field agents must be hired in addition to administrative officers in social centers and Social Security offices for local consultation. A social development index must be established for each agglomeration and district to target the necessary support services.
The activities of the community centers must be reviewed and the latter transformed into a leisure and cultural complex with a calendar of talks and consultations in various fields to improve the level of knowledge of laws, crimes, general culture and fight against plagues.
social issues such as alcoholism, addiction to drugs and their effects, the causes of road accidents, responsible driving, domestic violence. Churches, temples and religious associations, and their committees, should also organize sessions of education in human values and promote the unity of the family as a unit of social development and for spiritual renewal.
The government must plan and devote significant budgets and mobilize all resources for social development with well-defined objectives and concrete strategies to eradicate poverty in all its forms and, first of all, the construction of free social housing as the basis for everything. development and well-being of disadvantaged populations.
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