– multi-agency body to review existing studies, consult communities and recommend policy, legislative measures

A NATIONAL task force established to strengthen child protection and improve the welfare of children is preparing to expand its engagement across Guyana, with plans to review existing research, consult communities and recommend coordinated policy and legislative measures to address abuse, violence and other threats to children’s well-being.
The broad-based Task Force on the Welfare and Safety of Children was established by President Dr Mohamed Irfaan Ali at State House, with Attorney-General and Minister of Legal Affairs Anil Nandlall SC appointed as its coordinator.
Speaking on Tuesday’s edition of Issues in the News, Nandlall said the initiative would bring together government agencies, the Judiciary, law enforcement, religious organisations and civil society to develop practical interventions for improving children’s safety and welfare.
He said the task force’s growing membership reflected the need for a collective response, rather than leaving child protection to individual agencies or institutions.
“This task force brings together a very unique set of agencies and organisations drawn from varying segments of our society,” Nandlall said, adding that further stakeholders would be invited to participate as the work progresses.
The membership includes the Attorney-General and the Ministers of Home Affairs, Education and Human Services, with the Minister of Health expected to join. Representatives of the Judiciary, the Speaker of the National Assembly, law enforcement agencies, constitutional commissions and major religious organisations are also involved.
The National Toshaos’ Council is part of the initiative, while the Bar Association of Guyana has been invited to participate. The Private Sector Commission has expressed interest in joining, and the Restorative Justice Centre has also requested membership.
The Child Protection Agency and stakeholders involved in juvenile justice are among the other institutions expected to contribute to the task force’s work.
Nandlall said the body would examine the environments in which children are raised, educated and socialised, including homes, schools, recreational facilities, places of worship and communities throughout the country.
Its outreach is expected to extend to all administrative regions, including Amerindian communities, with engagement planned across the social institutions that influence children’s development and well-being.
“This organisation is so structured that it will take this task force into every home, into every school, into every major recreational centre, into every administrative region, into the Amerindian communities, into the religious institutions and houses of worship and almost every conceivable social institution where our children spend time,” he said.
The task force has already begun reviewing existing studies, reports and empirical data on children and young people. According to Nandlall, a team has been assembled to compile and examine previous research and recommendations to establish an evidence-based foundation for the body’s work.
The review is expected to identify existing findings, gaps and areas requiring further intervention before the task force develops a comprehensive document outlining proposed responses to the challenges affecting children nationwide.
“A team has been assembled and instructed to bring together all these studies and reports that have been done and are stacked all over the place, so that they can be reviewed and a desk review can be done,” Nandlall said.
“We can then begin with a base of data and evidence, along with recommendations of course, and build upon that to craft a final document.”
Following the desk review, the task force is expected to conduct public engagements and consultations with stakeholders and communities. The findings will inform a report containing recommendations to be presented to President Ali for consideration.
Areas identified for possible intervention include public awareness and education, parental support, school-based programmes, psychosocial assistance, mentoring and the promotion of healthy recreational activities for children.
Nandlall said the task force would also work with those responsible for managing schools, homes, recreational facilities, religious institutions and other social settings to identify ways of creating environments that better support children’s mental health, safety and overall development.
The initiative builds on an initial national consultation convened by President Ali, which brought together representatives of the Government, Judiciary, Parliament, constitutional commissions, law enforcement and civil society to discuss the challenges affecting children.
That engagement underscored the need for coordinated action involving families, schools, religious and social organisations, public institutions and the wider community.
Nandlall said the recent deaths of two children had further highlighted the urgency of addressing the circumstances affecting children’s lives and ensuring that responses extend beyond the remit of individual institutions.
“Hopefully it can produce the drastic measures which are certainly needed to positively impact the situation with which we are confronted,” he said.
The task force’s recommendations are expected to guide the Government’s consideration of additional policy, legislative and institutional measures aimed at strengthening child protection and improving the welfare and safety of children across Guyana.