THE alarming figures on child abuse in Guyana—more than 4,000 cases reported in 2024 alone, of which 1,202 pertained to sexual abuse—signal a severe issue that requires immediate and creative solutions.

The move by the Ministry of Human Services and Social Security to establish an after-hours Rapid Response Team is to be welcomed as a step in the right direction to confronting this endemic situation.

Child abuse is not constrained by working hours, so having a special team to answer night calls is overdue, but welcome.

Testing the pilot programme in Region Four is smart, given that it would fill that gap in responding to cases of vulnerability at night.

Still, while that step is welcome, it points to more systemic challenges in general that need to be confronted in earnest, namely, lack of trained human resources to implement these initiatives nationwide, not to speak of in hard-to-reach hinterland areas.

Apart from quick reaction, though, the integrated approach of the ministry from parent-training to policies on early childhood development gives cause for optimism in confronting root causes of abuse.

The roll out of para-professionals for Indigenous Peoples to receive special training to provide bridging of gaps in underserved areas is yet another progressive step in narrowing that divide.

Still, these measures need to be followed through with consistent investment and partnership with organisations such as UNICEF to have enduring effects on these efforts.

Fighting child abuse in Guyana requires more than these measures alone; it requires culture-shifting to prioritise child welfare at every level.

The Rapid Response Team is not only part of that strategy, but is also part of a more comprehensive plan that would have to include public- awareness drives, legislative reform and community sensitisation, for us to break that cycle of neglect and brutality that continues to haunt so many young people.