The Child Care and Protection Agency (CPA) of the Human Services Ministry yesterday launched its 24-hour “prevent child abuse hotline” to coincide with the day set aside for the prevention of this scourge.
Priya Manickchand
The public is being urged to help abused children by contacting ministry officials on 227-0979. All calls made after working hours will be forwarded to cellular phones which have been provided by GT&T which has been working closely with the ministry to make the hotline a reality.
This is the latest development in a plan to protect the rights of children across Guyana as several bills will soon be before parliament while several others have already been passed.
Speaking at a simple launching ceremony, Human Services Minister Priya Manickchand in thanking GT&T urged those gathered to pass on the hotline number for the benefit of all abused children.
She recalled that in July, the Ministry launched the CPA which is responsible for the protection of children following the passing of legislation.
“We are proud of the agency and …the work it has done thus far”, Minister Manickchand stated before pointing out that three more pieces of legislation in addition to the child protection act have been passed. All deal with the protection and rights of children.
In addition, she added there are two pieces of legislation which are before the select committee which is presently preparing draft reports that will be laid before the National Assembly to make these bills laws.
These are the custody guardianship act and maintenance bill and child care and development services bill. Both could be passed before year end.
She gave all assurances that the CPA as well as the Ministry is committed to ensuring that those pieces of legislation are implemented and enforced.
The Ministry will soon launch its foster care programme which is intended to cater for the 400 children who are in homes but are good candidates to be fostered.
Manickchand told the gathering that the plan is to move these children out of institutional care and place them into homes with families as studies have shown that these children grow better if they are placed outside of institutions. Institutional care should be a last resort and according to the minister it is based on such studies that efforts would be intensified to have such children fostered.
A study in Guyana she stated had shown that 65% of children in institutional care can be fostered. Presently forty children are in foster care with families and Manickchand called for more efficient actions on the part of the court in processing the foster care applications that are before them.
She noted that the Ministry though is encouraged by the commencement of the building of the family court which got underway last week.
Meanwhile the UNICEF representative in Guyana Suleiman Braimoh said that child abuse in any form is “totally despicable and unacceptable” and research has shown that the abusers tend to be people that are known to the children.
He said because of this many of these situations are not reported and the perpetrators go free.
Braimoh noted that child abuse detection is something his organization takes note of while urging those gathered to get involved in fighting the worldwide scourge.
In making the public aware of this issue and lending a hand in preventing it, the current batch of GT&T $200 phone cards will portray images in an attempt to dissuade perpetrators of violence; there will be a message in the 2010 telephone directory on the issue.
A banner with a message on child abuse will be added to the new GT&T website when it has been completed and DJs and radio personalities will be advertising the hotline number on programmes sponsored by the company.
Priya, I salute you in your efforts to rid our country of child abuse. Continue the great work, and with that I say Priya for President of our Guyana.
If I were an abused child I certainly wont call Priya with the hopes of reaching a positive outcome.
when the abuse come from tha govt ,whom will you call??
Hey Bas,
Call the ghost busters…….You too Monkey……
Bismattie, Iron Monkey, great comments.
I really had a lot of respect for this woman until she compromised so shamelessly and on so many occasions when the abuse come from within the govt, which has encreased in alarming numbers and in so many shameful varying ways.
Now, I just feel sorry for her as she’s got one of the worst jobs in the world, but somebody’s got to do it. Shame on her for not doing the right thing and hand in her resignation.
And if you’re reading this Priya, as one woman to another, when you’re taking care of society’s illness it’s like a parent’s job, it’s 24/7. You just can’t single out some children and other women for protection and leave some out in the cold, just because they may have been married to your president or allegedly sexually solicited by someone in the office of the president.
I know others here have got much more on your conscienceless inconsistency so I’ll leave it at that for now.
Great work. There must also be a clear definition of “child abuse”. Should someone call the hotline if they see a parent spanking a child?
…don’t hold your breath on this hotline. A hotline is only good if there are follow ups and proper procedures in place to investigate and bring the abusers to justice. Is there even a set of operational rules about taking complaints? I am not convinced. This regime is all talk and no proper action for the benefit of the population at large. The proof is in the way they scramble after the horse has left the stable, so to speak. It’s all window dressing.
No, they should call the number when they hear a 15-year old screaming in a police station.
good jab..now wat???
de hot lines gon be tied up wid people doin their personal business on fones?
will those hire to take reports be there to answer fones?
duhhhhhhh 911 and police duhhhhhhhhhhhhhh….
or yuh gat fuh guh deh yhuseff fuh meck report?
EE,we should give it a chance at first to see if it will turn out like the police hot lines.
This is not a bad move after all ,but what i am more concern about is that when we call this number and someone turns up as a probation officer from the Ministry and ask to speak to your daughter in private and then take her away without the parent’s consent as has happened on the East Bank Demerara.Our children are abused by those outside and also by those who part of the authority to protect them.Can this Minister give us the assurance that we wouldn’t be complaining to rogue officers.
You have expressed a genuine concern Romaladie. It worrys me too, but we have to start somewhere. Its a pity this had to come out after the child abuse incident at the police station. The government need to be more proactive that reactive. Pryia is a bright woman and should be allowed to run her ministry with less interferance from……you know who. When you appoint a minister to minister, then let the minister minister her duties. Everybody is afraid to offend the big boss.
Ms. Priya Manickchand
What is the out come of Matter in Crane where the father kelled his two kids and himself? Are you trying to give help to the mother Ms. Banarsee?????????????
You need to start from doing something for her.
Try starting a collection or a trust fund. Why wait for the Gov’t to help. You tink money a gro on trees???
sigmond, money don’t grom on trees but the pee pee pee government borrowing it and still guyana going down the tubes. they can give the woman some money.
What about those children at Linden,who allegedly were ordered to masturbate.Are they receiving Counselling?What of Julius’s welfare?And the well-being of the tortured boy,who cannot read and write?The future of Guyana,lies in the hands,of The Children of Guyana.
I applaud the minister for implementing a system where child abuse can be reported.
While this is a much appreciated improvement, and as always, I have a question regarding the response mechanism.
1. Would it not serve the children better if there was a 24/7 MANNED hotline where all calls and dispatches to an emergency response team are recorded? This will ensure some amount of accountability, as a documented log can be reviewed and issues can be addressed in a timely manner. Better accountability will also improve response and a manned operation will give the caller some assurance that they are being heard and something will be done to help the child. On the other hand, an automated call forward invites way too many excuses: I didn’t hear the call, I wasn’t supposed to be on call, There isn’t proper service in the club, etc, etc.
Guyana needs to start moving towards accountability and transparency as staples in any process being implemented. Otherwise the systems will inevitably fail or its effectiveness will be significantly reduced.
I just have to laugh another promise by Minister Prya Manickchand.
First “Stamp Out” then “Single Parent” and more now “HOT LINE”
How hot would be this line and who will monitor this hotline?
Minister Prya Manickchand cannot be reach for many problems that is existing. I do hope the Minister saw today’s papers where the 14 year boy that was torture his mother call for assistance.
I am wondering for instance with the torture of the 14 year old how does the Minister expect the hot line to work.
What is the present status regarding underage children lock up in jail with adults?
The young woman with her 3 year old child was thrown in jail over night without warning or any food. Well wishers came to her rescue and bail her for Four thousand Dollars. What action taken by the Minister for such injustice and inhuman?
Good move, given the checkered record of Guyana on child abuse. Last year a 12-yr-old boy was whipped at a Berbice police station. The case againt the police officer was dismissed. This year a 14-yr-old was burnt at a West Demerara police station. Charges are still to be laid for this act of abuse. Other cases of child abuse continue to be covered up, while only a few brave parents and children take the abuser to court. Children are still being taken out of school and put to labour. Corporal punishment is still legal in schools and in homes and fully supported by the two major political parties.