CHILDREN in Linden, no longer have to endure the turmoil of reliving the gruesome experience of being raped or sexually abused, with the establishment of a ‘One Stop Centre’ at the Linden Hospital Complex (LHC) old compound.

The initiative enables victims of childhood sexual abuse to relay their experience only once, at an interview where representatives from all the necessary agencies will be present, rather than to meet with them separately, thus having to narrate the ordeal every time.
Present at the forum will be a police officer, doctor, relative, welfare officer and whoever else is needed in the process to allow for justice to take its course.

A simple ceremony saw the official opening of the centre on Tuesday. Present were Assistant Director of Child Protection Agency, Tionna October, and other CPA officers, regional officials, LHC Chief Executive Officer Dr Mohammed Riyasat, non-government organisation (NGO) Blossom Inc. programme coordinator Michelle Amsterdam and a representative of UNICEF, among other stakeholders.

October, in her short address, expressed gratitude to all the stakeholders that are involved in making the imitative a success – one that was very belated in Linden, giving the high level of sexual abuse against children in the town.

The ‘one stop centre’ is available to provide the much-needed support for the interview, the aftercare service and to bring the perpetrators to justice via the multi-disciplinary approach, which requires the involvement of all necessary agencies including law enforcement, prosecution and the health sector to record the child victim’s account of abuse.

A forensic interviewer will be in a special child-friendly room with the child while the representatives from key disciplines will observe and listen to the interview in a different space. “The usage of this approach is known to result in increased successful prosecutions of child-abuse perpetrators and allow more healing for the victims, preventing them from being raped twice, have to be telling the hurt over and over and to, many times, insensitive personnel,” she shared.

The centres will be established throughout the regions and managed by NGOs. “The State and NGO partnership for child protection will ensure that communities across the country are able to help prevent child abuse and offer child abuse victims the services and support that they need and observe,” October added.

VITAL SPACE
Dr Riyasat said the hospital is very happy to have collaborated with CPA to provide a space for the centre since it was noted that children were not given the kind of privacy in dealing with such vulnerable issues.

“They were exposed more and open to the public, the amount of persons who have to tend to them then a whole set of spectators around, so ideally this is the area, and we are happy to be part of this. The hospital fully supports this activity.”
Regional Chairman Renis Morian urged the stakeholders to look at the centre as a stepping stone to a building in which not only sexually-abused children can benefit but all residents of Region 10.

“This is a good start, but I’m saying to the MoSP (Ministry of Social Protection), the RDC (Regional Democratic Council), the Town Council, the hospital and every other agency represented here that we need to push the envelope beyond a space, we need a building that people can come, not just children, but social protection can be extended to Upper Demerara-Berbice,” Morian urged

Region 10 has been identified as the region with the highest general rate of abuse in 2017, with statistics showing that 22.1 per cent per 1000 children were reportedly abused. Director of Child Services Ann Greene told this publication during a previous interview that much needs to be done in order to tackle this phenomenon.

She explained that in the entire region, Linden has the most recorded cases of abuse, with neglect being the highest form followed by sexual abuse.
Greene said the statistics will be able to pave the way in instituting measures to tackle this social phenomenon. “It helps us in our programme planning. We will be looking at Linden and how we can better things,” Greene posited.