THE Ministry of Labour, Human Services and Social Security, in a release yesterday, expressed sadness at the loss of Head of the Child Rights Division, Child Care and Protection Unit, Shirley Ferguson.

Ferguson, who is remembered as a stalwart advocate of children’s rights, died on January 29 in London, where she was receiving medical attention.
She joined the ministry in 1998, where she undertook the implementation of the ministry’s mandate for the government’s commitment to the Convention on the Rights of the Child.
According to the ministry, she performed this role with great efficiency and enthusiasm, reaching out to Guyana’s children through the many initiatives that she had undertaken.
Ferguson accompanied children to United Nations’sessions, represented their cause at regional seminars and even spearheaded children’s concerts, the last of which was held in December last at the National Cultural Centre
She also promoted the Convention on the Rights of the Child through her many publications and the various competitions she had organised. Her distinctive personality, elegant mode of dress and general deportment are well-admired qualities which she possessed.
Her colleagues at the Human Services Ministry expressed their heartfelt condolences to her family and friends at this time of bereavement.