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/

Caught in the act

NALINEE SEELAL

Police sources said the 26-year-old suspect of San Fernando is facing charges including sexual grooming, abduction, unlawful sex with a minor, sexual touching and others. The search is now underway for the teen’s neighbour who cannot be found. The victim is a Form III student of a school in East Trinidad.

The reverend, who leads a flock at a church in La Romaine, began communicating with the schoolgirl in January via Facebook and almost 11 months later, he managed to convince the girl to meet with him last week Friday.

She was picked up outside her home in East Trinidad at 8 am and taken to a lonely area near the Sangre Grande Hindu Primary School where the man had sex with her in his car. He later dropped her back home.

On Tuesday, he picked the child up again and took her to a secluded area in Turure Village where he again began having sex with her in the car. Residents who spotted the car parked under a tree became curious when they noticed the vehicle shaking.

On closer inspection, they saw the reverend with the schoolgirl and quickly alerted the police.

Officers from the Sangre Grande police station arrived, interrupted the Reverend and arrested him.

The girl was taken to the Sangre Grande Hospital where medical checks revealed her pregnant state. She was unaware of being with child. Officers from the TT Police Service’s Child Protection Unit (CPU) and officials of the Children’s Authority were contacted by police. The girl’s parents were also called in. Constable Mahabir of the CPU is continuing investigations along with detectives from the Sangre Grande CID.

Police sources said that the child showed police and CPU officers the content of her Facebook account which revealed a sequence of messages, posts and photos – some very suggestive – which the reverend shared with the child. The girl is receiving counselling from officers of the Police Service’s Victims Support Unit. Police said that when the neighbour is apprehended, he too could face criminal charges. Investigations are continuing.

 

Source: http://archives.newsday.co.tt/2016/12/03/caught-in-the-act/

Not enough to weep for Jenice

The tragedy of four-year-old Jenice Figaro’s death is that it could have been prevented. In her own home, the one place where she should have been loved, nurtured and protected, little Jenice was brutally battered, suffering blunt force trauma to her head and abdomen.

Ever since the circumstances of the pre-schooler’s death were confirmed earlier this week, following an autopsy performed by pathologist Dr Eslyn McDonald-Burris, there have been public outpourings of rage and grief. Many have pointed to failings in the system and have been critical of the adults around Jenice who reportedly did not recognise signs that she was being abused.

The sad reality is that cases of a child suffering such a tragic, untimely death are not rare in this country. The ones that gain public attention elicit a great deal of tears and finger pointing, but only for a very short while. Soon enough, if this case goes the route of so many others, Jenice will become just another sad statistic and citizens will forget their collective responsibility to look after the welfare of all of T&T’s children.

Adding another tragic twist to this case is the fact that Jenice was killed on November 24, four days after the observance of Universal Children’s Day, an occasion when the welfare of children is at the forefront. If any activities took place locally for this important annual event they were extremely low keyed. That means that a valuable opportunity was lost to advocate, promote and celebrate children’s rights, inspiring the very important dialogues and actions that will build a better world for children.

The day could also have been used to highlight the work of the Children’s Authority in the promotion of children’s rights, if only to remind citizens that these rights are enshrined within the United Nations’ Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the UN Declaration and Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) and that T&T is a signatory to both.

On paper at least, there exists in this country a comprehensive package of children’s legislation which provide for a robust system in conformity with provisions of the CRC. However, like so many issues relating to rights, safety and welfare, the existence of the right legal and policy frameworks can only work with enforcement and continued advocacy.

This country made important advances in ensuring the rights of children when the Children’s Authority became fully functional last year. There now exists an agency for receiving and investigating reports of mistreatment of children and empowered to remove children from homes where they are in imminent danger.

The infrastructure is in place, so there is no reason why there shouldn’t be greater focus on the problems of child abuse and neglect which often result in death, serious physical or emotional harm, as well as sexual abuse and exploitation which put so many of T&T’s children at imminent risk of serious harm.

Jenice died before she could get help but her tragic case is most likely the tip of a very huge iceberg. More needs to be done to help the many children in this country who don’t get enough food, shelter or basic supervision, are denied necessary medical treatment, adequate education or emotional comfort and suffer physical and sexual abuse.

For these children, the world is an unstable, frightening and dangerous place because only a few such cases are reported and investigated and very few perpetrators are held accountable.

Shedding tears for Jenice is not enough. In her memory, the responsible adults in this nation should commit to doing more to safeguard T&T’s children and uphold their rights.

 

Source: https://www.guardian.co.tt/article-6.2.360762.1adecbc453

Siblings, 2,4, perish in fire

Derek Achong

Valencia residents are calling for the parents of the two toddlers who died in a fire at their home yesterday afternoon to be charged with negligence.

Speaking with reporters a couple hours after four-year-old Mawaki Gordon and his two-year-old sister, Miracle, perished in the fire at their home at Tattoo Trace, Valencia, next door neighbour Judith Daniel and Local Government councillor, Simone Gill, were highly critical of their parents, who were not at home at the time of the blaze.

Standing next to the smouldering ruins of the family’s small wooden home, Daniel alleged that the toddlers, the last of the couple’s five children, were regularly left unattended.

“Honest to God, I don’t want to lie, they accustom leaving children to see ’bout children. Would you do that?” Daniel asked.

“This was clear negligence on the parents. There must be justice for the two children,” she added.

Other residents, who were interviewed by the T&T Guardian but who asked to remain anonymous, expressed similar views.

According to reports, around 12.40 pm, the Fire Services received a report of the fire from residents who noticed smoke coming from the house.

When police and fire officers arrived on the scene, the house was already completely engulfed in fire. The fire was quickly extinguished but fire officers later found the children’s remains, which were removed and taken to the Forensic Science Centre, St James, for autopsies.

The parents, a part-time taxi driver and a hairdresser, were detained by police when they arrived on the scene after receiving news of the fire. They remained in police custody up to late yesterday.

The couple’s other children, who were at school at the time of the fire, were collected by police and were put in the care of officials of the Children’s Authority.

Interviewed as she visited the scene yesterday, Gill described the incident as a great tragedy.

“We’ve had fire victims in Valencia before but nothing like this. This is the worst thing I have seen. It’s different when it’s children and the parents not home,” she said.

Gill questioned why the parents did not seek social welfare assistance and did not place Mawaki in a kindergarten.

“They were supposed to be in day care and an early childhood centre. We have two in Valencia. There is no reason for this,” she said. As she pleaded with working parents to be more responsible for their children, Gill said: “Put your children first. Ensure that your needs are not put in front of theirs. Seek out representatives, your councillor, your MP, social services. You must try,” she said.

WPC Joseph of the Valencia Police Station is continuing investigations.

 

Source: https://www.guardian.co.tt/article-6.2.360745.69183b29db