MP wants anti-bullying taskforce in schools

Trinidad Express:-Princes Town MP Barry Padarath is calling on Government to set up a taskforce to establish anti-bullying policies and guidelines for schools.

Padarath in a press release yesterday said he was happy to hear that Minister of Education Anthony Garcia was in agreement that policies are needed to be established in schools to deal with the harmful effects of bullying.

Padarath called on the minister to stop being reactionary and to put proper protocols and guidelines in place to deal with the escalating problem of bullying in schools.

He said he believed the Ministry needed to establish a task force with specific mandates on this issue and timelines to inform the setting up of proper actionable policies. “In the past under the People’s Partnership administration, a task force was established to deal with children’s rights and informed the work of the Children’s Authority,” Padarath said.

Padarath believes a similar approach is needed in this case.

He called on the Ministry to join the International Bullying Prevention Association which can be used as a reference on how other countries have dealt with formulating policies on the issue of bullying prevention as well as the rehabilitation of children who exhibit deviant behaviour in the school system and support services for victims and their families.

Padarath, who works alongside the Princes Town Youth Council, is in the process of joining the Council with the International Bullying Prevention Association and will attend and participate in their convention later on this year in Nashville, Tennessee, USA.

Padarath said he was happy to use his voice to advance an issue like this not only in Trinidad and Tobago but internationally.

Padarath said, “Bullying has long-term effects and can even result in suicide and serious crimes.”
He said he believes dealing with deviant behaviour in schools is a long-term measure in dealing with serious crime.

The Princes Town MP who once called for a Parental Responsibility Act stated that this issue needed to be looked at holistically in terms of prevention, rehabilitation and legislation.

Padarath stated, “any policy formulated to deal with the issue of bullying in schools needed to be strengthened and bolstered by new legislation to reflect current societal demands and not simply by reviewing existing antiquated laws”.

 

Source: https://stluciatimes.com/tt-mp-wants-anti-bullying-task-force/

Too many gaps

A recent report about an eight-year-old child being rescued after years of abuse at the hands of a relative is a reminder of glaring deficiencies that exist in our State systems and in social awareness.

There are simply too many gaps. Untold numbers of cases are likely slipping through the cracks.

While some attention has been paid to the conduct of the Children’s Authority in the recent case, we do not think it fair to question the actions adopted by the Authority without a full understanding of the facts.

And because the case involves a minor, many aspects of it must remain confidential. The Authority is not in any position to defend itself, nor should it be forced to engage in public debate over what should have be done in this sensitive case.

It must also be remembered that child rescue is not just a simple matter of finding a safe house and placing a child in it.

A complex matrix of factors must be examined. Things officials might consider include the welfare of the child, the impact of being close to relatives as opposed to strangers, the availability of suitable locations. None of this is clear cut.

What we can question is whether the Authority has enough resources to act speedily on reports sent to it. If the Authority was unable to act on a report made in January, why was this the case? It has been suggested the nature of the report made a difference in the response.

However, we find this an unconvincing basis upon which to differentiate degrees of urgency.

Surely any report involving the interests of a child deserves urgent attention? However, none of this should make us lose sight of other glaring matters. The biggest issue raised by the recent report is the fact that a known sexual offender seems to have been able to function unhindered in a community.

We must ask: what is the status of efforts to examine the sexual offenders’ registry? That registry is kept private for law enforcement officials and other State officers. However, we feel there is enough basis to make such a registry more widely available to give communities the information they need to take precautions.

It is true there is a risk of acts of vigilante justice. However, it seems clear enough that information about the offender in this particular case was already public information. A relative of the abused child states she though the offender, “was over that”. Was there a need for the community as a whole to have more information about this offender? Was the offender not a risk to other children or persons in the vicinity? The State has to take a closer look at how a registry available to parents might work.

Related to this is the vital question of treatment and rehabilitation.

If it is true the offender in the case is a repeat offender, this is a clear sign of a need for more facilities to help counsel persons found to cross the line.

But more importantly, there needs to be counselling for the victims. Somewhere out there is a prior child whose case may have slipped the radar. Who was lobbying on her behalf? Who was seeking her interests as this offender moved on the next subject of his proclivities? People can bad-talk the Children’s Authority — which has been making strides — all they want. The real issue is the system in which the Authority functions.

It must be remembered the Authority is relatively new and the enormous extent of the problem it is meant to address is only now becoming clearer.

 

Source: http://archives.newsday.co.tt/2017/03/06/too-many-gaps/

Children’s Authority concerned with missing children

In a release the authority noted children who run away from home are at high risk of being exposed to physical and sexual abuse, as perpetrators have access to them.

An appeal was made to parents to know where their children are and ensure they are supervised by a trusted adult.

The authority also advised parents to set boundaries on where their children are allowed to go, and enforce them, and make sure safety measures are taken for Carnival. Parents should encourage children to check in with them when they are not at home, know their friends, monitor their social media and cell phone activity and observe changes in behaviour which may reveal signs of abuse.

Newsday has published ten reports of children under the age of 18 who have gone missing in the past two months. While some children returned to their homes, others suffered a worse fate.

One of them was Abiela Adams, a 15-year-old footballer who took part in the CONCACAF Under-15 Women’s Championship last year. Less than 12 hours after she was reported missing on February 11, Adams was found dead with her throat slit, on the side of the road in Courland, Tobago.

She was lauded as a footballer with great potential and was set for screening to join the under- 17 team.

Since her death, three people were held and questioned but were released.

 

Source: http://archives.newsday.co.tt/2017/02/23/childrens-authority-concerned-with-missing-children/