Support the CCPA

Millions of children across the globe are not fully protected. Many of them deal with violence, abuse, neglect, exploitation, exclusion and/or discrimination every day. Such violations limit their chances of surviving, growing, developing and pursuing their dreams. We have seen a recent upsurge in the reports of child rape and other forms of abuse. The issue is that in most of these cases, relatives and guardians have reported that the acts have been perpetuated for some time. Many claimed to have knowledge of the alleged abuse only after the perpetrators have been nabbed. This is indefensible.

One of the major concerns is the fact that, only after investigations have been launched into alleged acts of abuse, then it is revealed that a number of persons knew the child or children were at risk but did nothing to get help for the victims. This is out of order and an infringement of the Child Protection Laws. In Guyana, the agency tasked with this responsibility of protecting children from abuse, neglect, violence, and exploitationis the Childcare and Protection Agency (CCPA) which, over the years, has sought to lead the way in protecting the nation’s vulnerable and at-risk children.

According to the Child Protection Act, if you know of a child being abused and do nothing about it you are liable. To avert this occurrence, the CPA will be looking to establish community watch groups. Just as in the case of domestic violence, persons are being encouraged to speak out against such atrocities.

The Social Protection Ministry has revealed that child abuse reports in the country, at the end of October 2016, were at 3294 cases with neglect followed by sexual abuse as the leading forms of abuse; the final statistics for 2016 is still being tallied; however, these are startling figures.

Inadequate parenting has been identified as a main contributory factor to child abuse and youth problems. The plan, according to the CCPA, is for the introduction of more capacity building and in-home services for parents.

For this year, the Agency has planned a series of other initiatives which includes the provision of increased support and services for families to improve parenting role and to keep out of home care for children at a minimum, the fostering of community partnerships to keep children safe, and engaging in a higher level of public awareness to the plight of children who suffer abuse and to the work of the Agency, among other initiatives.

For any of these initiatives to be successful, there must be greater collaboration. In fact, the Agency has called for strengthened relationships with NGOs and other organisations. They have also emphasised that everyone who comes in contact with children have a role to play in identifying children at risk, communicating these concerns and working collectively towards prompt corrective actions. Whatever the strategy, it is imperative that all stakeholders give their fullest support towards these and other initiatives. Child protection is a national issue and everyone must be involved if we are to be successful in building a comprehensive child protection system.

Further, the Government also needs to ensure that the CCPA and other supporting agencies are equipped with the appropriate tools to carry out their mandate. They should also strive to ensure that there is adequate funding, and that the highest level of training is available in the field of childcare protection in Guyana.

There is too much at risk for our nation’s children if stakeholders, communities and individuals do not act. All children have the right to protection. They have the right to survive, to be safe, to belong, to be heard, to receive adequate care and to grow up in a protective environment.