$10 Wine!

...Cent, 5 Cent, 10 Cent, Dollar
Cent, 5 Cent, 10 Cent, Dollar
Forget the small change give me give money woowine
Dollar
Dollar...

If anybody lives in the Caribbean or has lived in the Caribbean and is in their twenties or older would remember the Dollar Wine song. How could we forget, especially that part about leaving out the small change and giving the bog money wine! Oh yes, I remember those days. Well, it seems the younger ones these days have found a whole new interpretation and have taken inflation into account with what is now called the Ten Dollar Wine!

According to The Star, they have received reports that female students at some of the high schools in St. Catherine are selling sexual favours to male students starting at an asking price of JM$10. One teacher, interviewed by The Star, said, "I know some of them sell 'wine' for $10, and in other schools they sell it for $50. I know that they charge $100 just to push it in". Yes, these nine to eleven grade young girls are selling their bodies and sexual favours for a s cheap as JM$10 (approximately US$0.14)! [Article]

It seems things are just getting from bad to worse with our youth. These misguided young girls seem to have no pride in themselves and no respect for their bodies as they find it easy to give 'it' up for a few dollars or a ride in the taxi or the front seat of the infamous bashment minibus. I agree that times are hard, but they can't be that hard for these school girls to be offering sexual favours to male students and grown men for little or nothing! Ratid, JM$100, can hardly buy a patty and an box drink much less $10!

Something needs to be done to help these wayward girls. It is easier said than done and no one, two or three plans can solve this problem, but we as a nation need to make a start. I would love to say it starts at home and that the parents of these children need to talk to them, show them right from wrong and instill discipline in the foolish minds of the school girls. But sadly, some of these parents do not know any better or don't even care. The school needs to play a part in helping these young girls to see the value of themselves, to have self worth and pride and also to dicipline these out of control teens. However, the school is severely limited in what they can do where this is concerned as their primary goal academia. And even if the school decided to dicipline these teens, they run the risk of facing the wrath of the teens' family members and eve the same parents that should be working as a team in bringing up these children in the right way. Then we still have to contend with all the negative influences these teems feed on from their environment, entertainment and so called role models. It is indeed a sad state of affairs and a gloom fore gleam into the future of this country.

Maybe we should start a mentorship programme, maybe the schools should offer more guidance as a part of its curriculum and be tougher where discipline is concerned. Maybe, some of these parents need to be counseled and helped to provide the guidance and discipline needed to curb this trend in our girls. maybe we need to get the arm of the law involved. I don't know, but something needs to be done for this trend to stop.