Dear Editor
IN the first-ever training of its kind, teachers from Region Three (Essequibo Islands-West Demerara) recently received training to equip them with skills to handle domestic violence cases in their schools. The Caribbean Voice (TCV) applauds the Ministry of Education (MoE) for this initiative.

TCV has been advocating for this training for years. In fact, our teachers workshop covers domestic violence, suicide prevention, sexual abuse, self-harm, bullying and self care. To date, TCV has held a number of teachers workshops in Regions Four, Six and Three.

Teachers have also attended similar workshops held for communities in these regions as well as in Regions Two, Five and Seven. As one teacher pointed out after attending one of our workshops, ‘this is the first time our psycho-social needs are being catered for’.

TCV urges the MoE to make their training inclusive of the other issues addressed by our workshops and take it to all regions and then designate all teachers as mandatory reporters with respect to all issues covered in the training. We also urge a quick-referral mechanism to facilitate easy and quick reportage and urgent follow-up action.
Regards
The Caribbean Voice