THERE was a sensational headline (among others) on the front page of last Tuesday’s edition of the ‘Guyana Times Newspaper, which read ‘Child molested by Childcare and Protection Agency (CPA) Officer’. The story that accompanied the caption, though it did concern the CPA, was totally unrelated to the eye catching headline. This is an example of what has commonly become known as ‘Fake News’. (Deliberate misinformation).
While this type of propaganda seems to ignite and fuel the Western World, it is not for Guyana. Lies of this magnitude, work against the integrity of all that we are striving to achieve as a nation. The implication that an officer whose job it is to protect children would molest a child is most damaging. Yet this is the headline that appeared on the front of a newspaper, perhaps for no other reason, than to stir the public’s curiosity and ultimately to sell more newspapers. The mere fact that this action was consciously or unconsciously orchestrated at the expense of the hard-working staff of the Childcare and Protection Agency is another misdemeanour that is unacceptable.
As Guyanese we all must recognise the responsibility we have to help the children of this nation and in this endeavour the media plays a crucial role. The media can partner with the CPA to help build public awareness about child abuse. Whenever journalists receive any type of child-related report on abuse or reports concerning the agency’s handling of a case, they have the choice and opportunity to follow up the story with the CPA for clarity and balance. The CPA has an open door policy, where members of the press can get relevant information when needed.
While there will always be some amount of confidentiality involved in cases concerning children, getting the facts straight when disseminating information to the public is crucial because newspapers create history, and in years to come the inaccuracy (or fake news) will still exist. When you are working to safeguard children, the least you can do is get your facts right by asking salient questions in the relevant quarters. Giving a ‘layman’s account’ of a situation from the ‘layman’s prospective is not ‘real’ news and can be classified as ‘hearsay’.
Working alongside the CPA and getting a clear picture of what is going on, before printing the relevant facts, might not sound as exciting as selling newspapers through sensationalism, but doing the wrong thing has a domino effect and in the long run it is always the children who suffer.
Part of the work carried out by the CPA officers, the part that the public rarely see, is very harrowing and can be disturbing to the faint-hearted. The officers are the first responders and regularly have to be the ones listening to and witnessing the traumatic experiences that children have suffered. This actually makes them secondary victims. They too need to live through and off-load the events that have occurred. This line of work, though rewarding when they are successful in helping children, comes with its own type of pressure: and the last thing an officer needs, when dealing with a client, is to be (thought of or) asked whether he or she is the person who ‘molested’ the child, as stated in the headline.
And still the children suffer, why? Because no one needs added stress: officers are people too and no one can blame any officer who quits because he/she does not wish to be associated with an agency which is constantly portrayed by the media in a negative light? The CPA need partners, people who genuinely care and who want to promote change, in the negative attitude, that some people have toward children. The agency is not an up and coming organisation that is designed to take a ‘knock’ or two from the press and bounce back. No, the CPA is a professional agency that works to fulfil a mandate: with staff who take their job and efforts to help children, seriously. The work that is carried out by CPA officers should not be undermined or whimsically tainted for fun or for malicious purposes.
If you are concerned about the welfare of a child call the Childcare and Protection Hotline on 227 0979 or write to us at childcaregy@gmail.com
A message from the Childcare and Protection Agency, Ministry of Social Protection
