AG laments 12-year-old brides

Attorney General Glenda Morean-Phillip sees child brides as one of our failings to implement the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, she told the launch of a report on the convention on Wednesday at the Hilton Trinidad.

While this country was up to date in reporting on our implementation of the convention, she said there remained many concerns. She said one area of concern was the disparity in the minimum age of marriage under the various marriage laws. Morean said: “Girls as young as 12 years have the capacity to marry.” She explained that in 1998, a committee was formed to review existing marriage laws in an attempt to harmonise them. She recalled: “The committee held consultations with the various denominational groups but there was no consensus on the raising of the minimum age of marriage. This is an area of concern to the Committee on the Rights of the Child as it has implications for the women of tomorrow. It is still being vigorously pursued.”

Morean-Phillip also lamented the increasing reports of sexual abuse against children. She said: “According to the Police Modus Operandi Records Bureau, there were a total of 166 sexual offences involving children in 2000, 197 in 2001, and 258 in 2002. “NGOs have stated that there is a general problem of under-reporting of such offences and the actual figures are likely to be much higher.” The Attorney General said that the environment in most children’s homes was generally not conducive to the positive, holistic development of children. She said: “Adequately trained staff has been lacking in these homes and children do not get the level of attention they need. There is a need for greater diversity in the type of activities for children and for counselling to be made available.”

Noting that the number of juvenile offenders had grown from 281 in 1999 to 421 in 2000, Morean said that a UNICEF study had documented many existing problems in the administration of juvenile justice. By way of remedies, the AG said: “One important initiative in the protection of our children is the Pilot Family Court Project that is about to be launched. It is children who are expected to be the major beneficiaries.” She said Cabinet had accepted a report in July 2002 from a committee to establish a Family Court, which she said would try to resolve disputes in a consensual manner. She said: “The Committe is working assiduously to launch this pilot project later this year. This Family Court Pilot Project will represent a radical departure from the traditional procedures in which family disputes are resolved within our existing legal system. It is expected to be a ‘one-stop shop’ for dealing with family matters where in one building you will have judges and magistrates, social workers, psychologists, mediators, probation officers and court staff. “In this environment there will be a shift from the traditional adversarial approach to a more concilliatory approach when dealing with family disputes.”