| – Minister WebsterA staggering 4,102 cases of child abuse were brought to the attention of the Ministry of Human Services and Social Security during the past year through its Child Care and Protection Agency.Human Services Minister, Jennifer WebsterThis state of affairs has spurred intensified collaborations between the Child Care and Protection Agency, the Police Force and Prosecutors, according to Human Services Minister Jennifer Webster, who revealed during a press conference on Monday that during the latter part of last year, workshops were held in this regard.Additionally, she said that the Child Care and Protection Agency conducted training sessions for its staffers which complemented a collaborative workshop with officials from the police force and prosecutors, which was sponsored by UNICEF, and focused on “how they could better work together to have an integrated approach towards the investigation of cases of child abuse.”As part of the strategic moves to help arrest the social challenge, Minister Webster said that Cabinet, last year, appointed members to serve on a revamped National Family Commission.That Commission, she said, commenced its work during the last quarter of the year in an attempt to fulfil a mandate to address issues related to the family and more particularly, issues such as promoting good family life, parenting, leadership, social interaction in the home, gender-based violence and the protection of children and women.The Commission, which is chaired by Reverend Kwame Gilbert, also has the service of several reputable Commissioners who have all embraced the mission of the Commission to address social issues that have a direct impact on the society.During the past year child abuse cases were reported in the five broad categories of: neglect,Cheap Jerseys From China, physical, sexual, verbal, custody/Teenage Pregnancy/Delinquency. Based on the reports obtained by the Ministry, there were 1,547 cases of neglect, 742 cases of sexual abuse, 729 physical cases, 205 verbal cases and 879 cases of Custody/Teenage Pregnancy/Delinquency.Region One accounted for 64 of the reported cases, while there were 126 in Region Two; 753 in Region Three; 717 on the East Coast of Demerara; 360 on the East Bank of Demerara; 600 in North Georgetown; 495 in South Georgetown; 223 in Region Five; 280 in Region Six; 32 in Region Seven; 55 in Regions Eight and Nine and 397 in Region 10.Also last year, the Human Services Ministry as part of its commitment to expand its Foster Care Programme facilitated the placement of 150 children in the care of 90 foster parents. All foster parents, Minister Webster said, are on a monthly basis in receipt of $18,000 to care for each child in their charge.According to the Minister, “the foster care programme continues to expand and is being strengthened through awareness programmes to encourage more persons to open their homes and hearts to take children in.”Accordingly, the Ministry during the past year held special training programmes for potential foster parents, as well as those who already have children in their care. The Minister said that through a ‘Children at Risk’ programme, efforts are made to provide psychosocial support and other assistance to families with children who were found in vulnerable situations and children who have to be reintegrated from institutional care.This programme, she said, is done in collaboration with the Non-Governmental Organisation Child Link and the objective of the programme is to supply support for the wellbeing of the children and to prevent separation from their natural family.Minister Webster said that there are currently 151 children in that programme.In the area of Residential Care Services, the Ministry, according to Webster, had continued to manage three Government care centres at Mahaica, Sophia and the Drop-In-Centre situated in Hadfield Street, Georgetown.“We have more than 200 children in our care, including 12 young girls with babies from the hinterland programme,” the Minister related. |
