(Trinidad Express) Opposition Senator Shamfa Cudjoe told the Senate yesterday that recently she saw a video on Facebook of local pupils, two boys in Form Four and a girl from Form One, having sex.
“It is not alleged, it is a fact,” she told the Government bench.
Cudjoe said she was “taken aback” that these pupils allowed themselves to be filmed on cellphones by at least two different pupils—she saw it from two different angles. She also reported that she could hear a teacher’s voice in another class.
She said it is hard to find a local school that does not have a pupil starring in a sex tape and some pupils wanted to be “superstars”. She reported there was a website where you can find sex videos and fight videos of local pupils.
“Many parents don’t know that the child they see around the house is not the same child on Facebook. You wouldn’t believe some of the things you would see,” she said.
Cudjoe was contributing to Senate debate yesterday on the Children’s bill at Tower D, International Waterfront Centre, Port of Spain. She was commenting specifically on part six about minors involved in sexual activity and part eight about child pornography.
Referring to the clause about publishing child pornography, she said, that with BlackBerry messenger and Bluetooth pupils can share a sex videos and within the space of a day the “whole school” would have it.
She noted in her high school, there were designated “boom, boom rooms” where pupils would go to have sex.
“Don’t ask me how I know, I’m observant,” she said laughing.
“If it was so in 1998 to 2000 I can imagine what is happening now?” she asked rhetorically.
She said under the legislation a number of children would be “getting caught” but instead of criminalising their activity they need someone to talk to like guidance counsellors.
She noted that while we like to say the children are bad, there were a number of factors contributing to their behaviour and as a society we need to “pull our socks up”. She said there was no longer religious instruction in schools and while there was “nothing to replace the bond with God” something was required to “fill that gap”.
Cudjoe added that despite political bantering, as a society we have dropped the ball and the situation has become worse. She said the issue of minors having sex was a contentious one which would be difficult to iron out but she commended Government on the move.
