Caribbean ministers with responsibility for families, human resources, youth, social services and social and community development met over two days in Barbados—Tuesday and yesterday—to focus on ending sexual violence against children by the use of integrated region-wide strategies. Barbados, Anguilla, Belize, Dominica, Grenada, Guyana, Montserrat, St Lucia, St Vincent and the Grenadines, Trinidad and Tobago, Antigua and Barbuda, the Caricom Secretariat, the OECS and UN agencies were represented at the meeting, hosted by UNICEF and UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon’s UNiTE campaign for collective action on violence against women.
This meeting is a follow-up to the 23rd meeting of the Caricom Council on Human and Social Development (COHSOD) in July, at the end of which grave concern was expressed at the alarming prevalence of sexual abuse of children in member states. It was noted that other forms of abuse provided preconditions and the environment for child sexual abuse and urged that these atrocities be exposed. It also emphasised the need to challenge concertedly and decisively, the deeply entrenched cultural practices and norms that condone violence and violate the rights of children.
On Monday last, the local Ministry of Human Services and Social Security in collaboration with UNICEF launched the ‘Tell Scheme’, which targets primary school children at the grade three and grade six levels—who would be between the ages of 7 and 12 years old—encouraging them to tell somebody if they are being sexually abused or even inappropriately touched. The ‘Tell Scheme’, the media were told, would see teachers using visual aids and talks to create a guiltless environment through which, it is hoped, children would feel empowered enough to talk about abuse, or else to write it down or draw pictures and drop them in a ‘Tell’ box that would be provided in classrooms.
First Lady Deolatchmee Ramotar, who delivered remarks at the launch, was quoted as saying, “It’s quite unfortunate that the abuse is committed by people who the children trust.” A telling statement, since, although statistics have revealed that in the Caribbean, 47.6% of girls and 31.9% of boys, who were sexually abused reported that they were forced or coerced by family members or family acquaintances, these are not the only adults in positions of trust who violate children.
Here in Guyana for instance, in February this year, Nezaam Ali called `Mufti’, 30, who was attached to the Turkeyen Masjid, was charged with sexually assaulting three boys under the age of 12 years, between December 5 and December 31, last year, at ‘D’ Field Sophia. The case is continuing.
In October 2009, a girl in her early teens, held at Springlands, Berbice for ‘wandering’ was raped by a member of a community policing group, ironically in the Domestic Violence office at the police station, not long after two policemen had attempted to have sex with her against her will.
In September last year, allegations that teachers at the Aishalton Secondary School were sexually molesting students reached the media and the Education Ministry launched an investigation.
In January last year, a West Demerara teacher was arrested and charged following allegations that he had sexual relations with a nine-year-old male pupil. Later in the same month a teacher from a West Coast Berbice secondary school was dramatically arrested at the school on allegations that he had sexually liaisons with several students over a period of time, perhaps as long as three years.
The Teaching Service Commission had announced in March this year that it had dismissed 164 teachers last year for breaches of conduct, including sexual and verbal abuse and indulging in improper relationships with students. Its Disciplinary Committee had recommended that the teachers found guilty of touching and fondling students as well as vulgar and improper behaviours in schools be interdicted from duty. There was no mention of whether these teachers were also prosecuted.
However, unfortunately, there is no such thing as a sexual offences or paedophile register in this country, nor is there any integration or networking among law enforcement and other arms of the state, much less the private sector. Such persons are therefore free to go and find jobs at other schools or institutions or volunteer at youth organisations. Who does the child tell when the abuser is his/her teacher?
While it is important to provide an environment in which children feel free to talk about sexual abuse, there also needs to be sensitisation at the level of the police force as well as in the wider society. There were 430 cases of sexual abuse against children reported up to the end of June this year; a fraction, not even a tenth reached the courts. Where is the justice for our children? Paedophilia is alive and well and what is desperately needed is legislative reform and the swift administration of justice in such cases.
