In the Caribbean, in-school violence, broadly understood, is becoming a matter of growing concern to Governments and the public at large. A preliminary investigation on this situation in six CARICOM countries (Dominica, Grenada, Jamaica, St Lucia, St Vincent & the Grenadines, and Trinidad & Tobago) reveals widespread anxiety, but at the same time serious efforts by the respective Government to study and curb its spread, and in most instances to do something about it.
A random sample survey of over 5,000 students from nine Eastern Caribbean countries is a timely reminder that the problems of violence in schools are those of a minority of schools and students. However, there is universal concern over its growth. In keeping with international trends, Caribbean scholars and educators point to exogenous factors, such as social exclusion, in their search for causative factors. Prominent among these are the family, the community and the media.