I KNEW the word Valedictorian had something to do with graduation, but I had to look up the true meaning for clarification. A valedictorian is a person who reaches the highest rank in a graduating class and delivers the farewell address.

While wandering around the Child Protection Agency (CPA) speaking with officers who had a moment to spare, one officer was particularly elated by a case that ended in reunification. She said, “I’ve been working with this family for a long time, and I’ve seen these three children move in and out of the system from very young.

“At first, they suffered emotional and physical abuse from a stepfather, then they were kept by a granny who couldn’t cope. After spending some time in care, they recently were reunited with their biological father and stepmother. At last, the children are receiving the kindness and attention they deserve”.

A local school named the eldest child Valedictorian after passing nine subjects at CXC last year. This achievement shows her resilience. With her father’s intervention and her determination, she succeeded despite the odds against her. She is now looking forward to attending the University of Guyana. This is a success story because of all that they went through.

Glancing on the wall directly behind the officer, I noticed a lovely homemade poster designed with love hearts. It reads ‘Happy valentine’. I drew her attention to the incorrect spelling, and she told me about the child who sent it to her. Although we cannot speak about the details, that child has also been reunited with family members twice removed on her paternal side.

The officer continued. ‘Well, Valentine is a time to share love, and I’m almost like a mother figure to her, so she just wanted to express that love at Valentine by sending it’. Displaying the poster was indeed a fitting tribute to the child who thoughtfully made such a heartfelt gesture to the officer.

I asked another busy officer for a few minutes of her time, and she kindly obliged. She is stationed in Region nine and comes into the Head Office in Georgetown to collect equipment, documents and liaise with senior staff members. Having worked for the Child Protection Agency (CPA) for seven years, her job once consisted of travelling to different Regions sensitising ‘country people’ about the CPA and child protection.

She said, ‘I’ve worked in Bartica, Port Kaituma, and Mahdia. I am presently based in Region nine. I’ve been there for four years; I have a home, an apartment where I stay. My colleague and I service the whole of the Rupununi– the Deep South, the Pakaraimas, North, Central; we go all over. Our job takes us into each of the four districts.

There are over 50 villages throughout the Rupununi. And where ever we get a report, that is where we go. However, one of the challenges we face is transportation. We might get a case, and we want to go straight away, but it’s not possible. Sometimes it takes days to reach a location.

Most of the child abuse cases in Region nine are reported to us by school welfare officers, hospital staff and the police. When individuals come forward, the cases tend to be about physical abuse or access; things like that’.

The officer went on to explain that the majority of cases are of child sexual abuse. ‘Of the 11 cases we had during March, seven were sexual abuse cases. We help abused children receive the support they need, such as getting them to the police, allowing them to make their statement and getting them medical care.

There are no children homes in Region nine, so if children are at risk and cannot remain at home, we usually find a foster parent or reliable family member to keep them. The officer relayed a story where a child was removed from a sexually abusive environment and placed with a foster parent. She has remained there for the past two years.

‘Everything we do is in the best interest of the child, and within the laws of Guyana; children must be allowed to grow and develop physically, emotionally and naturally, without abuse’. Last year, the Child Protection Officers launched a weekly segment on Lethem radio station to share salient information with fellow countrymen and women in Region nine.

The officer continued. ‘The name of the show is, ‘Child Protection and You.’ We talk about different aspects of the Child Protection Agency so people in the Rupununi can learn about the facilities available for their use. Towards the end of the programme, we encourage people to write to us with their questions or other concerns, which we answer on the next show. We started the programme last year, and so far we’ve had a good response from listeners’.

Child Protection work has many unseen and unexpected aspects. Officers must often be inventive and proactive to reach and inform the public of their work and the facilities available for abused children in Guyana.

If you are concerned about the welfare of a child, call the CPA hotline on 227 0979 or write to us at childcaregy@gmail.com
A MESSAGE FROM THE CHILDCARE AND PROTECTION AGENCY,
MINISTRY OF HUMAN SERVICES AND SOCIAL SECURITY