…to help protect children from abuse

Lindeners were urged to get involved in the fight against child abuse by speaking out and reporting such cases to the police since anyone knowing of a child being abused and not reporting same, is also actively participating in the abuse.

The admonition was given at a Child Protection Agency parade, attended by scores of residents of Linden, regional officials, Child Protection Agency officers and parents.
The parade began with a march from Burnham Drive on the Wismar shore and culminated on the Linden/ Georgetown bus park on the Mackenzie shore. Students of day care facilities assisted by their parents, braved the heat of the broiling sun to let their voices be heard as they begged abusers in their little chants, to stop hurting them. Further, awareness was given at the rally and the audience left with a better understanding of what child protection is and how it is affecting the lives of the children in Region 10, more so with statistics showing that for 2017, the region had the highest numbers.

Melissa Chapman Registration and Licensed Officer, noted that child protection is everyone’s business and the CPA is striving to prevent, reduce and alleviate the effects of the abuse and neglect of children. Regional Chairman Renis Morian in brief remarks urged fathers to get involved in their children’s lives as this will reduce the risk of them being exposed to other guardians who sometimes abuse them. “I want to appeal to brothers in this community, our children need us, they need their fathers, I am sending out a call to our fathers, let us again, stand with our children.”

He urged the CPA to create a social media presence since most children who are teenagers are social media savvy. “The approaches and tools that we are using are outdated and irrelevant. I feel right now we need to resource the agencies that are working for CPA with modern tools. The CPA needs an information unit that can communicate with our children and young people via the internet; it is easy to get through to them using the internet,”
He also urged the agency to be furnished with the necessary transportation to have them visit the outlying areas in Region 10 more often, where child abuse is prevalent. He said the RDC is willing to play that role to assist the CPA Region 10 office in acquiring these needed tools. “The RDC would like to play a very significant role in assisting you in acquiring the necessary tools that you need.” He also urged them to get more stake holders involved in the fight against child abuse.

Attorney, Renee Mc Donald noted that during the two years she has been practising law what pains her is when the matter of abuse that has been going on for long periods, only attracts the attention of many relatives and friends when it is far gone. She said she often wonders what were these very people doing, when the child was being abused. It is with this she urged all, to speak out whenever there is any form abuse meted out against a child. These forms, she said, include sexual, emotional, verbal, physical and even financial. “Anyone who knows a child is being abused and remains silent, is actively participating in the abuse,” Mc Donald said, while commending the E Division police on their recent stand of zero tolerance and urged them to keep up the good work.

Deputy Commander of E’ Division, Jermaine Harper, noted that children are the primary focus of the police and they will ensure that children are not abused by bringing their perpetrators to justice. The police however, cannot do it alone, he said, calling all residents to get involved. “It takes a whole village to raise a child, not just one person…the way forward is for us to work together; work in tandem with each other and make sure we look out for one another. We are our brothers’ and sisters’ keepers.” He urged parents to keep talking with their children and to play an integral role in their lives.

The audience was also entertained through songs and dramatic poetry on the ills of child abuse. Monday’s event was the second of three days of activities in observance of Child Protection Week 2018. While there are activities planned for every region, Region 10’s activities commenced on Sunday with an inter-religious service. On Tuesday, there will be another forum where residents will be further sensitised on their role as a community to stamp out child abuse from Linden. For 2017, the CPA, recorded a total of 4,179 cases of child abuse. Region 10 reflected by 22.1 per cent per 1,000 children. “In every thousand children, 15 are being abused. If you look at last year’s stats data, it also means every two hours a child is abused; every day 11 children are abused,” Child Protection Week is being observed under the theme: ‘Supporting families to prevent child abuse through education and community development.’