– CPA legal adviser urges parents, says it is child abuse

WHEN relationships between parents go sour, sometimes children are used as weapons, an act, Chilcare and Protection Agency (CPA) Legal Officer Telisha Williams said, must be strongly condemned since it is child abuse.

According to Williams, who was at the time speaking at a two-day Sexual Abuse Workshop at the Guyana Police Force Training Centre, Eve Leary Georgetown, on Tuesday, the using of children in such circumstances puts them at risk and denies them their basis rights.
The workshop focuses on harnessing a multi-disciplinary approach, involving police, doctors, child protection officers, police prosecutors, DPP prosecutors and child advocacy centre social workers, in addressing sexual abuse.

Under the theme “Turning courageous conversations into critical action to intervene and reduce the impact of sexual abuse,” the legal officer said children have the right to grow to adulthood in health, peace, and dignity.

Williams said children’s right can be infringed upon if their health, nutrition, education, social and emotional development are willfully disrupted.

“Government has a role to play to ensure that the rights of the child are met. We have school feeding programmes. We have bus services so that parents have no excuse for not sending them to school because Government provides free transport for children, along with school vouchers,” she explained.

She explained that children also have a right to freedom of expression commensurate with their age and stage of development.

The CPA legal officer also highlighted that parents need to be more open with their children and their needs, while an environment needs to be created where they are educated on their roles, what is expected of them and how they can protect themselves.

Williams said children should feel comfortable discussing things with their parents while society should promote children’s welfare, which would deter child abuse.

She explained that on many occasions, the sexual abuse of a child causes a rift in the family and the child ends up feeling guilty and blaming themselves for the abuse.
“That child may even feel pressured and say they don’t want to even move forward with the report. After saying that my father molested me or my uncle interfered with me or my half-brother or sister, the child may feel pressured to say that they no longer want to move forward with the report or they may later say that they lied just to ease tension on the family,” the legal officer explained.

She said in such a setting, it is ideal for the agency to remove the child so that he/ she does not feel pressured to withdraw their statement to the police which will stop persecution of the sex offender.

BROAD BASED INVESTIGATION
Further, she said, “if there are other children in the family, an investigation must be done to inquire whether they were also molested or sexually abused since such offenders have a pattern in which they operate.”

In addition, she noted children should not be witnessing abuse in the household since parents and other family members abusing each other physically or verbally, has a negative effect on the child.

Meanwhile, pediatric surgeon at the Georgetown Public Hospital, Marisa Seepersaud said child abuse has become so prevalent globally that children are being destroyed by adults at various stages of their lives.

She explained that only the extreme cases hit the news but beyond the public’s view, there are many children being abused physically, emotionally and sexually indoors.

“We have got to do what we can to stop this, as such, these seminars are wonderful because we probably won’t recognise all of them, a lot of time we only see the physically things but there are so many other abuse taking place before,” she explained.

Adding that such seminars provide participants with the education needed to recognise the various factors, she explained that there are many practical ways in which to deal with each abuse which can save many children from developing negative complexities.
She noted that professionals participating in the workshop can assist parents in dealing with the challenges that they face.

Underscoring that children are the future and their development should be protected, the pediatric surgeon said there needs to be a consorted effort from all walks of life and professions to spread the awareness needed to address issues of sexual abuse.

Staggering number of cases

Guyana has been observing Child Protection Week which commenced Sunday last.
The CPA has expressed alarm over the staggering 481 cases of child sexual abuse that have been reported to the agency within the first six months of 2018.
Statistics revealed that 393 were girls while the other 88 victims were boys.
In May, the agency recorded 238 cases of sexual abuse against children under the age of 18.

CPA Director, Ann Greene said the alarming number of reports is linked to the fact that citizens are more vigilant in communities where child abuse occurs. She also noted that the CPA has been educating community members about this scourge.

According to Greene, there have been numerous sensitisation sessions with members of the community, including the Guyana Police Force.

Meanwhile, Commissioner of Police Leslie James said the Guyana Police Force (GPF) is committed to ensuring that perpetrators of child abuse are placed before the courts.

“I wish to indicate very clearly that the Guyana Police Force has always been committed to dealing with child sexual abusers. Testimony to this fact are members of the Gender Based Unit across the divisions of the Guyana Police Force, who interacted with a multi-stakeholder agency to examine the current state of affairs in relation to investigations and other matters pertinent to sexual abuse and specifically to the child,” Commissioner James stated.
As Guyana observes Child Protection Week, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) handed over a study on sexual, physical and emotional violence against children to Ministry of Social Protection. The document states that poverty, poor parenting, cultural norms, stress, alcohol and drug abuse are among the primary contributors to violence against children.

The study has found that female children are more at risk of being victims of child abuse in both urban and rural areas. It also states that there are higher instances of abuse in differently abled children.

Ministry of Social Protection, subject Minister Amna Ally said Government attaches great value to children and is committed to ensuring they are protected from exploitation. Moreover, the Minister of Social Protection noted that every effort is being made to ensure children are provided with every opportunity to become productive members of society.

UNICEF’s Country Representative, Ms. Sylvie Fouet lauded the collaboration between her organisation and the Ministry of Social Protection. She said that the recommendations that emanated out of the study called for an all-inclusive approach, whereby stakeholders from across sectors are involved in the business of child protection. This recommendation speaks to the theme of this year’s Child Protection Week observances- ‘Supporting families to prevent child abuse through education and community development.’

Ms. Fouet disclosed that part of the report focuses on early abuse, which can impact the development of a child’s brain in the long term.

“The report actually fits very well because it’s on social norms and understanding the behaviours and the drivers…it will help to plan a coherent response. The system can do certain things but the community has to come in and that’s where I think the report brings a response from the individual, the collective and the system,” Ms Fouet said.