The Ministry of Human Services and Social Security on Friday opened two resource centres in Region Six (East Berbice-Corentyne) as part of the Spotlight programme to tackle pressing issues that scourge society.
Minister Vindhya Persaud inspects the facility
The two centres – one for the elderly and sick and the other for Early Childhood Development – were established with the intention of supporting job creation, youth and women empowerment, pre-school activities, remedial education, counselling, psycho-social support services and care for the elderly.
The Ministry said the Spotlight programme is geared at providing an opportunity for the Ministry and its international partners – the European Union and United Nations – to address family violence as a major public health and development issue with significant ramifications on the individual, community and national levels.
Five priority areas of intervention for the Spotlight programme are sexual and gender-based violence; school-based gender-based violence; intimate partner violence; incest and teen pregnancies; and sexual abuse.
Human Services Minister, Dr Vindhya Persaud outlined that several cross-sections of persons will benefit positively from this investment, especially children and the elderly. She said persons within the various communities should work towards a zero-tolerance mindset to violence and abuse.
“The Spotlight Initiative puts light on the dark acts of people out there who feel like they can get away with these atrocities…We have zero tolerance for that kind of behaviour and I will encourage, appeal, that you have zero tolerance for this. It is unacceptable. Violence and abuse against any age and any is unacceptable.”
She added, “If we want violence and abuse to stop, it has to be a collective effort. It cannot be the Ministry alone. It cannot be a single NGO. It has to be all of us, from the messages we deliver at home to our children encouraging them to respect each other so that they will grow with those values and it will filter out into the adult world.”
Persaud indicated that early childhood training forms an important part in the development of children since exposure will affect their cognitive development. As such, resource centres are integral in the formation of contributing citizens and every facet needed is catered for in these facilities.
“When you think a child is too small to imbibe, to inculcate and to experience, that child is not. The environment must be such that, that child can be moulded into a good teenager and finally, a positive, contributing adult to the country. This is the emphasis that is placed in resources centres,” the Minister determined.
In collaboration with UNICEF, the Ministry will be working towards increasing the material used in these centres to ensure that children are abreast with the requirements of the formal education system.
As it relates to the resource centre for the elderly, she said this is geared at improving the quality of life for the older population.
“Many elders live home alone. Many elders also live with their families and they’re neglected. They don’t have food. Sometimes the shelters that they get is barely adequate to meet their needs and many times, they have no financial resources,” the Minister identified.
