Editor AMANDALA
Sir,
I am writing this article to inform the public at large about a serious problem confronting a lot of men in Belize. The problem is gambling and how it affects our society.
I was living with a woman in a common-law relationship. She has been gambling at the casinos since they began.
We have three beautiful daughters and some time ago, unknown to me, my partner began prostituting our eldest daughter to men for money. This went on even while she was attending high school. My daughter eventually left for the United States and is presently there working. How she went, I don’t know.
One day I came home from work and was told by her mother that she had not seen her daughter that day. Some time later I received a letter from the States from my daughter explaining why she left. We had a quarrel at home and my partner denied everything.
I left my home but continued to give money to my partner for the maintenance of the other two children. Eventually my second child came to live with me, complaining of the same situation. Eventually my second daughter graduated from high school, thanks to God.
Only the third child remains with my ex-partner, and I have asked the neighbours to keep an eye on her for me. Eventually their mother became a part-time prostitute to support her gambling habit, and still gambles at the casinos.
This problem in Belize is hardly discussed and the churches, I suspect, are given donations by the casinos to keep them quiet.
I also suspect that some of the violence directed against women stems from gambling, but that aspect, again I suspect, is never ever mentioned.
There were times when I thought about violence but, thank God, I restrained myself and left the home.
There may be men who cannot control their emotions and commit themselves. All I can say to them is, it is better to end that relationship and walk away, since gambling is as addictive as crack cocaine.
I pronounce a thousand curses on the government that brought this pestilence into our lives.
A distraught father
P.S. The name on the envelope is fictitious since I’m ashamed even to mention my name. I beg you to please publish this.