THE STATEMENTS MADE by the chairman of the Child Care Board (CCB), as reported in the DAILY Nation of July 6, contained disturbing and alarming information. Much of it, unfortunately, was not a surprise.
It is well known that an alarming minister of children in Barbados are subjected to physical, psychological and sexual abuse. Though the Child Care Board may have chosen not to reveal that information to the Barbados public, which it exists to serve, we are aware of it from anecdotal evidence and personal experience. It has also been revealed in a number of reports published by UNICEF on child physical and sexual abuse. It is also well known that many children, particularly girls, are sexually abused by the boyfriends or sexual partners of their mothers, with their knowledge and therefore tacit consent.
These are grim facts that reflect a dark side of our culture, a culture which sanctions turning a blind eye to these horrors. But also shocking are the following:
• The Child Care Board did not believe it necessary to reveal to the people of Barbados the level of abuse which has been reported, particularly given the sharp rise in the last four years. The only impetus to reveal that information was the deaths of two young boys within a six-week period.
• That the board was not provided with the resources to allow it to hire the number of trained officers necessary for it to carry out its mandate effectively. The gross insufficiency of officers renders it incapable of performing the functions entrusted to it by the people of Barbados. Seven officers and approximately 700 new cases of abuse every year for the last few years, as reported.
This situation, as we have seen, has placed the vulnerable children in Barbados in clear and present danger. It is one that should never have been allowed to persist, as soon as it became clear that the ability of the CCB to perform its function was deeply compromised.
• The slowness of the board to remove a child from a dangerous environment after it had received repeated reports of abuse of the child. After three reports of abuse of Jahan King were made to the CCB by his grandmother and school, after investigation and interviews, the abuse being endured by him was not viewed as grave enough, even with the bruises and broken fingers, to remove him from a life-threatening situation.
• Chairman Mr Ken Knight indicated that the officers were “going down the right path” and that there would have been a point at which the police would have been called in. What point is that? From the evidence, it is when the child commits suicide or dies as a result of apparent abuse.
So when the chairman calls on Barbadians to report cases of abuse or suspected abuse to the CCB so that it can “continue to vigorously execute its stated mandate”, there is a grim irony which is not lost on us.
Yes, we often fail as a people to protect our children. Given our small, densely populated communities, neighbours are often well aware that a child or children are being physically, sexually and emotionally abused, and too often fail to report it to the police or other authorities. Whatever the reasons for this behaviour, whether the belief that persons can do whatever they wish with their children, or that abuse is a private matter which should be dealt with in the family, it is abhorrent and inexcusable.
Equally bad, however, is that after such reports are received by the agency charged with the protection of our children, its actions do not appear to reflect urgency regarding the safety and well-being of the child. The chairman has indicated that the officer or officers involved were following the processes laid down by the board. As these processes allow for three or three reports of a child’s abuse to be received and no immediate action is taken to remove the child from the environment, then clearly new procedures need to be put in place as a matter of urgency.
It was indicated by the director that the process needed to allow for the counselling of the family, which was identified as one of the CCB’s functions. However, as its name suggests, the board’s primary function is the care and protection of our children, and to that every other thing must be secondary.
The situation of grossly inadequate human resources at the CCB has existed for decades, and perhaps an underlying reason for that, though it pains me to say it, is the lax attitude which too many of us have towards child abuse. The time is long overdue, given the apparently increasing propensity of we Barbadians to abuse our children, for Barbados to ensure that the board is given sufficient resources to enable it to carry out its critical mandate effectively.
How else can we say with honesty that the promotion and protection of the rights of children is a national priority? Nothing less than the health and lives of our children is at stake. A full report of the situation being faced by the CCB, and the sharing of data concerning cases of child abuse reported to it, is also owed to the Barbadian people.
The board is there to serve us, and we need to know. And perhaps becoming aware of how too many of our children are suffering will be the impetus for us to make sure that the board receives the resources it needs.
– Gail Riley