The Evangelical Alliance has responded to the £90 million earmarked for Tony Blair’s new ‘respect’ campaign with caution, calling on the government to “show some real ‘respect’ and pay attention to issues around values, family structure and family breakdown”, a press release said.
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The £90 million apportioned to the controversial Louise Casey, leader of the Respect Task Force, is the latest effort to tackle the UK’s anti-social behaviour problem.

General Director of the Evangelical Alliance, Joel Edwards, however, remains unconvinced.

“It will be interesting to see what this £90 million actually achieves. It is all very well to talk about respect, but if the Government is serious about tackling the causes, rather than merely the incidence of anti-social behaviour, and really wants to restore attitudes of respectfulness in society, it must do more to support agencies and groups who are seeking to mentor and instil values in young people.

"It is important that young people are given the chance to develop a moral compass, because without it they are not going to respect others.”

Mr Edwards praised the work of many youth and community workers but criticised the under funding of numerous youth projects.

He said: “There are many under funded and under resourced youth projects, many of them Christian, doing sterling work in our communities. The people running them, the people on the ground, could do a great deal with even a small proportion of £90 million.”
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Recent research by CARE, the Christian social concern charity, has shown that the roots of anti-social behaviour can be clearly traced to family breakdown and the growing social problem of ‘fatherlessness’.

The Alliance believes instilling respect among youths and young persons with anti-social behaviour would show more success if the Government backed marriage and intensified work focused on preventing family breakdown, as opposed to issuing laws which require parents to control their children.

Senior Policy Officer at CARE, Paul Bickley, echoed the Evangelical Alliance’s response to the government’s latest efforts: “While sticking a £90 million plaster on the weeping sore of anti-social behaviour, the Government is failing to take proper account of the relationship structures that benefit children most – stable families based on married parents. The state could more appropriately spend time money in promoting and sustaining the marriage relationship.”