Dear Editor,
Violence and abuse have not now, but for a long time become a norm in many families across our small Guyanese society. Mostly children and women suffer in silence and more and more we are recognizing that boys too and men are being abused and violated with little recourse. In many of those cases, neighbours and family members are aware of the abuse and choose not to intervene in any way not even if the intervention is an anonymous report to the authorities. In the abuse of children, in the past, reporting was hardly likely to be the first thought since this was the norm – however, more adults and children are reporting child abuse. Nonetheless, some are still skeptical of reporting matters of child abuse and other forms of violence. Those who choose not to report violence against children must know that there are programmes that respond to child abuse and as a result, reporting has saved many lives.
ChildLinK, in collaboration with the Childcare and Protection Agency (CPA), is currently implementing the Recovery Safeguarding (RSR) initiative. One of the key changes for children is to support 120 children living in orphanages to go home to their biological families. ChildLinK, with resources from the European Union is supporting the vision of the CPA to support children to grow up in safe and loving families. ChildLinK, CPA and several additional stakeholders have established a Reintegration Working Group (RWG) in April, 2018. The RWG developed local guidelines on children’s reintegration which aligns with international best practices and the principles of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC). In engaging children in institutional/orphanage care as well as their families, we have found that families are experiencing many difficult circumstances that lead to the abuse of their children in the first instance. However, intervention provided through initiatives such as the RSR (government and civil society partnerships) continues to make a difference and safeguard children from abuse.
One of ChildLinK’s CBO partners facilitating reintegration cases outside of Region 4, received a report from a concerned neighbour that a child was being physically abused by his mother. The counsellors found nine year old Nick (name changed to protect identity) alone, lying in a hammock at the bottom of the small, dilapidated house, and in excruciating pain. The counsellors observed bruises, swellings and other marks of violence on Nick’s body, especially his back and shoulders. Nick had received such a severe beating that he felt pain when the counsellors touched him. Initial conversations with Nick and the neighbours revealed that his mother regularly and brutally abused him. She would leave him alone in the hammock when she goes to work with strict instructions not to leave the yard. Nick was hospitalized after the case was reported to the CPA. The CPA assessment concluded that Nick had to be removed temporarily from his mother’s care for his safety. Nick and his mother were subsequently engaged by an RSR child care counsellor and a parenting skills officer respectively.
The counsellors discovered that Nick went to school regularly but his academic performance was well below average. He mostly kept to himself. His mother worked as a domestic worker and tried her best to provide meals for Nick but was not always able to do so. Nick would ask neighbours for food when his mother could not afford to provide any for him but his mother was very angry whenever she found out about this.
Nick’s mother, Sasha, has two other children but his siblings lived with his grandmother. Sasha was physically abused when she was a child. Sasha also engaged in prostitution during her early to mid-teen years. Sasha’s mother lived in extreme poverty. To provide for
herself, Sasha engaged in prostitution to get money for food and other essentials. Sasha became pregnant as a teenager and went to live with the baby’s father. She subsequently had Nick, her second child. Nick’s father was physically abusive to him and Sasha. Both parents consumed alcohol heavily and smoked marijuana. Sasha eventually left Nick’s father in her late teens and resorted to prostitution temporarily to provide for her two children. She decided to stop sex work after she became pregnant with her third child.
The counselling sessions were instrumental to both Nick and Sasha. Nick’s counsellor worked with him on issues such as trust and self-esteem. He is now more open and friendly. The RSR child care counsellor also did one on one reading sessions with him. His performance in school has improved. Sasha has benefitted from the parenting skills education sessions. She is no longer consuming alcohol and she is making a good effort in reducing her use of marijuana. These changes, coupled with her improved understanding of her role and responsibilities as a parent, have helped her to improve her relationship with Nick and her two children. The CPA and RSR helped Nick and his younger sibling to return home to their mother. Nick’s eldest sibling is currently staying with a close relative but visits Sasha and his siblings every weekend. She is making progress in improving her relationship with her children. An RSR counsellor also enrolled Sasha into a few skills programmes to strengthen her income earning capacity.
This case demonstrates how lives were changed because one neighbour had the courage to report a known case of abuse. There are many more similar cases we will continue to share as this must be an encouragement to each of us to report and intervene when we see witness abuse against someone particularly children.
They are still many cases of physical abuse and violence against children that are going unreported. We all have a duty to report any form of abuse or violence against children.
ChildLinK is a not for profit organization that is working to create a Guyanese society where every child is growing up in a loving, safe and secure family and community. This article raises many questions for the family and the care of Nick but also recognized the help of a good neighbour. Please write us with us comments, questions and how you would like to get involved in protecting children in your own communities at admin@childlinkgy.org. Report child abuse by calling the CPA on 227-0979, the closest Police station or ChildLinK on 233-3500 or email: admin@childlinkgy.org.
Yours faithfully,
Shaquita Thomas
Communications Officer
ChildLink Inc.
