THE Rights of the Child Commission (RCC) reports for the last four years contain what its Chairperson, Aleema Nasir, has described as “distressing” information relating to the treatment of children across Guyana.

This disclosure was made during Wednesday’s handing over of the 2017 and 2018 RCC reports, at the Public Buildings in Brickdam, Georgetown. E-copies of the remaining reports are expected to be delivered to the Speaker of the National Assembly, Manzoor Nadir.

The reports are expected to be tabled at the next sitting of the 12th Parliament and its contents disclosed for public consumption.
According to Nasir, the reports uncovered abuse and incest, among other major social ills that are affecting children across Guyana’s 10 administrative regions.

Nasir noted that the reports have uncovered some good and bad statistics as it relates to the safety, wellbeing and access to rights of children in Guyana.

Notable, the RCC Chairperson stated that an alarming statistic that was found relates to the number of out-of-school children across Guyana. She highlighted that this number has grown significantly since the COVID-19 pandemic hit.

“There are a lot of things that have been happening to our children, a lot of them are not in school, many of them are not at school. They are not exposed to schooling of any sort, and we hope that we would be able to make a change in the lives of our dear children of Guyana and make life better for them,” said Nasir.

She, however, noted that the RCC has been working assiduously to ensure that those uncovered social ills are addressed. She explained that while the RCC has its limitations with how much it can address the issues, it has been working with governmental as well as non-governmental organisations to provide relief and resources to those children who are in need.

COMMENDATION
Meanwhile, Speaker of the National Assembly, Manzoor Nadir, echoed similar sentiments and he later commended the RCC on the work it has done since its creation just over 10 years ago.

The RCC which was established in 2009 is an independent, quasi-governmental body with constitutional powers, established under Article 212 G (1) (d) of the Constitution of Guyana.

Under Article 212J(2)(d)(e)(f) and 212V(c)(e)(f) the Commission was granted jurisdiction to investigate and resolve complaints on violation of the rights and interest of the child, ensuring that every child’s voice is heard at all levels in Guyana, in accordance with the Convention on Rights of The Child.

“I want to compliment the chairperson and all of the commissioners for the hard work that they have done over the last decade. Ten years is a very short time in the life of a state [commission] but we have these commissions. It’s been a learning experience, I’m sure, for the chairpersons and the commissioners and as we move on from here the work that they have done will certainly guide, inform and enlighten the commissioners for the rights of the child also,” said the Speaker of the National Assembly.

COMMITMENT
Nadir lauded the commission for its commitment to the needs of children, not just Guyanese but also the Venezuelan immigrants who have been making their way into the country through its borders.

He noted that one of the main challenges the RCC has been faced with was the issue of registration of those children which poses some level of difficulty as the commission goes about performing its duties.

“We can’t shut our doors; we now have to open our hearts bigger…. A lot of children are coming with parents or persons who have had some connection to Guyana for decades or who would have moved away from Guyana for many years, so we have a young couple who left is now returning with grandchildren and Guyana can’t turn away those kids, we have to do everything in our power to ensure that we could afford them the opportunity that is enshrined in their rights,” said Nadir.

Speaking to the long-awaited appointment of commissioners to the RCC, Nadir disclosed that an “appointment committee” meeting was scheduled for Wednesday and will be the first step in the appointment or reappointment of commissioners.