RESIDENTS of Annai said the village is faced with a high incidence of sexual and child abuse as the Childcare and Protection Agency (CCPA) of the Ministry of Social Protection, along with the Ministry of Education, and the Guyana Responsible Parenthood Association (GRPA) take steps to address the situation.

The residents broke their silence on the issue on Monday during a village meeting with the CCPA and the GRPA. Annai is among villages already visited by the CCPA and GRPA during an ongoing joint regional outreach in the Upper Takutu-Upper Essequibo District. The outreach seeks to raise awareness on issues surrounding children and their safety. Head of the awareness team, Sophia Bess of CCPA, commenced the session at Annai by giving an overview of who is a child and the rights associated with children.

It was during her presentation that residents complained about the high number of cases of sexual child abuse in the village. One resident in the community, Suresh Andries, indicated that the situations faced in the region can be tackled through parental training. Andries and the other residents present were subsequently informed of the parental training programmes which are currently being conducted in the administrative regions of the country aimed at helping parents acquire skills to better train their children.

Another issue raised was the negative effects of technology on today’s youth. These negative effects, according to the residents, influence their behaviours. Monique Meusa, a probation officer attached to CCPA, in response to this issue encouraged parents to monitor their children’s activities and keep up-to-date with technology. The awareness session also involved talks on Sexual Transmitted Infections (STIs), cancers related to sexual activities and the importance of not being involved to early sexual activities.

This awareness campaign is also being conducted in order to develop community watch groups within region Nine. It is believed that persons in different communities can act as “frontline officers” on behalf of the CCPA to have sexual child abuse cases reported. The awareness campaign continues until June 22 in various communities in Region Nine. Other persons in the awareness team include Dr. Ignatious Wrong, Salena Clohisy – a Volunteer at GRPA, Glenis Canterbury – CCPA, and Kevin Reddy – Ministry of Education.