Black male violence must be viewed as a public health concern, according to the former chairman of the National Youth Council.Stanley James told parliamentarians yesterday that preventative care and education had to be implemented to deal with rising crime.He said the family system had disintegrated among the lower social economic groups and there needed to be instruments available to track high-risk youth in their formative years.Speaking to the joint select committee on violent crime and gun violence yesterday he said many of the solutions involved family, fellowship and faith.Dr James said young males raised without a father were more susceptible to a weak sense of self and could suffer academically or with authority in the workplace.He said mothers often became these young men’s sole support system, but were unable to compensate for the absent father’s role.“Females have to balance being sole providers in an aggressive hostile workplace, while being single parents, nurturing desperate children.“All of this must occur without the mothers being nurtured themselves. Unfortunately emotionally neglected mothers unconsciously seek to meet their emotional needs by overly indulging their male children.“The destructive impact of this behaviour is far reaching.”Dr James, a consultant for community action group Rise Above Bermuda, said boys raised by single mothers often had inconsistent extremes of discipline, rather than “consistent applications of standards”.As a result they could suffer from insecurity and may not be familiar with submitting to authority figures, such as in the classroom.“In addition males are overtly sensitive to actions that they define as disrespectful,” he said.This disrespectful was often viewed as a threat to their sense of manhood. Traditionally families preserved their way of life by reinforcing values in churches, schools and homes, he said.These organisations worked inter-dependantly and used to hold the same values, but today are working more in isolation. “The consequence is no absolutes and cultural relativism. Now the media, music, and the marketplace are the primary determinants of ‘youth way of life’ for their identity and values.“However, none of these have the preservation of community, culture or citizens. Instead they promote the destruction of the community and exploit the vulnerabilities.”He said the faith-based community was struggling to remain relevant considering the social challenges of the new millenium.And he said that while the spiritual message should remain the same, the church needed to change its approach in order to have a positive impact in the community. Dr James said faith-based groups needed to help single mothers with raising their children. They also needed to implement programmes such as parenting classes for men, a 12-step recovery programme for people with alcohol and drug addictions, finance and money management courses and conflict resolution classes.“The faith-based community must ensure they serve as a place where the weak, the wounded and the vulnerable can convalesce, retool and reintegrate.“While at the same time be a champion for justice and speak to the needs for balance in the workplace and ensure work opportunities are made available for those that will otherwise be voiceless.”