Human Services Ministry – making strides in child protection

A GINA Feature, February 2, 2013

With amplified public awareness and education on issues affecting children and calls for social responsibility in communities and schools across the country, there has been more effort on the part of the public to ‘tell’ about the horrors of child abuse and other issues that affect children.

Minister of Human Services and Social Security Jennifer Webster

Teachers will continue to be trained to sensitise boys and girls about the need to ‘tell’ someone about their abuse while children across the country will be taught about their rights and how important it is for them to keep telling until someone listens.

Similarly, work will also be done with parents and entire communities on the importance of taking responsibility for the protection of children, the dangers of not reporting and the importance of the family unit.

Cases of abuse and neglect

According to Minister of Human Services and Social Security, Jennifer Webster, there were 731 cases of physical abuse reported to the Child Care and Protection Agency, 359 of them being boys and 342 girls. There were 13 cases of girls between the ages of 0-3 years;  77 cases of children between the ages of 4 and 7; among the 8 to 13 year olds there were 141 cases; and, between the ages of 14 and 18 there were 86 cases.

The Ministry also reported that overall the number of reported child abuse cases totalled 4102 last year. Neglect accounted for the largest number. There were 64 cases in Region 1, 126 in Region 2, 753 in Region 3, 717 in Region 4 (ECD), 360 on the East Bank of Demerara, North Georgetown – 600, South Georgetown  495, Region 5- 223, Region 6-280, Region 7-32, Regions 8 and 9 – 55 and Region 10, 397.

A staff of the Child Care and Protection Agency dealing with the issues of a young mother

Those numbers were further aligned with specific factors/cases; 1547 were cases of neglect, 742 sexual, and 205 verbal and for custody, teenage pregnancy, access, and delinquency there were 879 cases.

With the establishment of the Child Care and Protection Agency, under the purview of the Ministry of Human Services and Social Security, there have been more reports of child abuse.

Ann Greene, Manager of the agency had said that the increase is as a result of the number of public education efforts encouraging citizens to speak out and the coordinated efforts of the Ministry to effectively deal with each case.  She explained that, unfortunately, while children were being abused, persons were not coming forward to report. She feels that there is a correlation between public education and the increase in the reported cases as people are aware of the issues that face children and as such are now more willing to talk. “It’s not like before where people didn’t want to talk about it.”

Greene stated that, “If you know of a child being abused and you don’t help, then you’re part of the problem. At times most people feel that it is child care agency job to do something about child abuse but no. Every citizen, every adult, it is your responsibility to protect the child.”

Launched in November 2012, the TELL Scheme campaign which aims at empowering children to disclose any form of sexual violence will continue with extensive training in schools and communities.  The campaign, according to the Ministry “provides education designed to promote disclosure and prevention, and to develop community based interpersonal communication activities so as to reduce children’s vulnerability to sexual violence.

The TELL principle, is that, children who are abused are often threatened or warned not to tell, and in Guyana there is a considerable degree of silence and secrecy on such issues. Guyanese, especially children are not as expressive as their counterparts in other Western societies and cultures, therefore the TELL Scheme forms a part of a larger effort of social transformation aimed at building a culture of disclosure.

Parents, teachers, religious leaders, health workers, police officers, community members, and social workers are now expected to prepare themselves for the culture of disclosure and be better able to handle the revelations made to them.  “In our society at the level of the Government of Guyana, I would like to once again signal our zero tolerance for child abuse and sexual abuse…we will work to support change in this regard; quite frankly the status quo is unacceptable,” Minister Webster declared.

She indicated her hope that the TELL Scheme will empower children to speak out about unsafe touches or other abusive situations they experience. There are plans to continue to educate children in the classroom through the initiative since it is important for children to be able to recognise when they are being sexually abused. The TELL Scheme will teach them some of the ways that they can do so.

“Importantly, it is our intention to ensure that our children are taught to accept that by speaking out they are doing what is right. This is therefore a step in the right direction to prevent and reduce the incidence of abuse which occurs in our society,” the Minister posited.

She emphasised that it is time for adults to take responsibility to ensure that children are kept safe from harm; neglect, sexual abuse, and pain should not be part of the lives of children. Parents have a responsible for their children and create an environment that will facilitate the production of productive adults.

Minister Webster noted that the TELL Scheme is a part of the public awareness campaign which re-enforces the Sexual Offences Act which was signed into law in 2010, and encourages confessions of sexual violence by children.

A teacher educating her charges about the ‘TELL’ scheme at the South Ruimveldt Primary School

Guyana is a signatory to the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child and several other international conventions which aim at safe-guarding children.

Programmes of the Women’s and Men’s Affairs Bureaus have a prevention component that specifically aims to teach children about their rights and responsibilities, gender roles and responsibilities, and how to create a ‘new normal’  for their future families.

Stability

This year special focus will placed on ensuring that child support payments are maintained as the ministry will hone in on errant fathers. The Ministry is contemplating the establishment of a special unit to address issues pertaining to child support payments. The ministry will also be moving to aggressively pursue legal action against those fathers who have failed to make their child support payments.

This service will be one of many carried out under the ambit of the family court, which will become operationalised later in the year. This institution will allow adults and children to seek redress in adoption, guardianship and custody issues.

The Ministry also plans to continue to provide a safe space for at risk children. To this end, the Ministry has collaborated with mobile giant, Digicel to construct a modern Mahaica Children’s Home.  To date, the $10M facility is 60 percent complete.

Current standards will also be revised to ensure that homes managed by both the public and private entities cater effectively to the children, and the Ministry will move to implement extra curricular activities, like, music and dance and other programmes to help children adjust to society when they attain the age of 17.

The National Foster Care Programme since its establishment has placed over 150 children in 90 homes and Government has been providing foster parents with a monthly allowance of $18,000 per child.

This year, the Ministry plans to accelerate awareness activities of the Foster Care Programme to encourage more persons to open their homes and hearts to children who are in need, and to conduct special training programmes with potential foster parents and those who already have children in their care.

During the course of this year as well, the Ministry plans to implement the Early Childhood Development Programme which will fall under the ambit of the Child Care and Protection Agency and will look at the registration and licencing of all daycare facilities for infants and toddlers.

Domestic Violence National Action Plan

Recognising that domestic violence is a national scourge, the Ministry in 2012 launched the National Conversation on Domestic Violence campaign,  to garner citizens input in crafting a Strategic Plan of Action on Domestic Violence, in partnership with various stakeholders.

Launch of National Conversation on domestic violence at the Guyana Interntional Conference Centre

Community sessions were officially launched in June 2012, with 18 conversations having taken place to date in eight Regions.  This year the ministry will in the first quarter conclude these sessions. Outcomes from the campaign will be used to inform a National Action Plan which will outline Government’s and its partners’ roles in tackling the issue.

The provision of emotional and financial support for victims of domestic violence is also on the agenda for 2013. A safe house for female victims will be built in Region Three.

Legislation

On January 3, 2013 the National Assembly unanimously passed the amended Sexual Offences (Amendment) Bill No. 26 of 2012 tabled on November 8. The new Bill allows for a statement written on behalf of a child to be signed by that child or for him/her to make his/her mark where he/she cannot sign.

The Bill also gives the accused the right to lead evidence or submit a written statement in every instance where the Prosecution has the right to lead evidence or submit written statements and states that it would be prejudicial to the accused if the accused does not have this right.