WE WRITE with regard to Minister Jennifer Webster’s letter (“Gov’t has a good track record in dealing with child abuse”) published in the Chronicle and Stabroek News last month in response to ours (“The Ministers of Education and Human Services should say what they are doing about the sexual abuse of students by teachers”)..
Help & Shelter acknowledges the steps mentioned by the minister that have been taken to address child abuse, and the financial and other support that we have received and continue to receive from the government. By mentioning that support, which, by enabling Help & Shelter to maintain a shelter for both abused and trafficked women and their children, in turn enables the government to meet Guyana’s international obligations with respect to places of safety for victims of domestic violence and human trafficking, we are confident that the minister did not intend to imply that as recipients of  government largesse, we have no right to criticise or question the government when we see gaps or deficiencies in areas that fall within our mandate.
We are sure that the minister recognises that as an independent NGO, it is our responsibility to speak out when we think it necessary and are rightly liable to be called to account should we be silent.
As Minister Webster has correctly pointed out, if progress is to be made in effectively dealing with the ever-increasing level of violence in Guyana, and in particular in reducing the incidence of domestic and sexual violence and child abuse, and empowering survivors to  rebuild lives free from violence ‘All are responsible and must be involved’. This vital cooperation between all stakeholders, both governmental and non-governmental, must however take place in the context of mutual recognition of and respect for the role that each stakeholder plays and the contributions it makes.