CC&PA to get more vehicles to reach abused children – Minister

The Child Care and Protection Agency (CC&PA) will be supported with more vehicles to carry out its mandate of probing abuse and violence against children, in light of challenges faced with limited resources.

This was shared by Human Services and Social Security Minister, Dr Vindhya Persaud during the consideration of Budget Estimates on Friday. She noted that when cases of abuse were reported, the Agency was stymied in its effort to respond owing to the limited number of vehicles at its disposal. As such, the increase in its fleet will enable officials to reach in to communities much faster.
The Minister shared that because children were home from school, the cases of abuse have increased. However, the Agency has been starved of such resources to function effectively.
“The Child Care Agency has been starved of these resources for some time. A lot of children are home and there are many cases of child abuse. A lot of these cases are not reported and in the times when they’re reported, because they did not have the requisite vehicles to send the team out, they had to wait for one vehicle to come back. It is difficult and very challenging for Child Care and Protection … If we are to look at the rates of child abuse, these areas have particularly high numbers in terms of child abuse. This is badly needed,” Dr Persaud expressed.
Just Wednesday, CC&PA Director Ann Greene revealed that between January and August 2020, the Agency responded to 529 cases of child sexual abuse.
Greene made this revelation at a virtual rally held on Wednesday in observance of Child Protection Week 2020, which was held under the theme “Breaking the Silence on Child Sexual Abuse”.
She further stated that Region Nine (Upper Takutu-Upper Essequibo) has the highest rate of abuse with 4.6 cases per 1000 children, followed by Region One (Barima-Waini) with 3.8 cases and Region Seven (Cuyuni-Mazaruni) with 2.7 cases. As such, Greene called for more persons to become advocates for children’s rights and to support efforts to ensure safe childhoods.
She also called for the establishment of a special victims’ quick response unit in police stations, staffed with specially-trained Police Officers, social services officers including child protection officers, and public health officers to facilitate speedy investigations and bring child sex abusers to swift justice.
In addition, Director of the Juvenile Justice Department within the Home Affairs Ministry, Orin Boston noted that the public needed to become more mindful about protecting children.
“Many children and families can become vulnerable. There is need for informal support networks…. We need teachers, churches, and elders to be on board in the protection of children,” Boston was quoted as saying.
If there is suspicion of abuse, this should be quickly reported, he posited, adding that there were rapid investigations of child sexual abuse, with measures in place to put children in a safe and secure environment. (G12)