Child abuse rampant in the region

Moses said this region was the highest in the world of abuse.

The Office of the Prime Minister– Gender and Child Affairs launched it’s “Break The Silence” programme at City Gate where students displayed paintings on buses to show child abuse.

Moses said many children were abused and abandoned in the region.

“We are among the highest in the world for child abuse and we are trying to create awareness for this,” he said.

Acting Cpl Lioea Duncan of the Child Protection Unit (CPU), said they depended on the public to inform them about child abuse.

He also stated that there was a thin line between discipline and abuse.

He said the unit was dedicated to protecting children in this country.

“We try to get people to be aware because there are certain things that are abusive that people take for granted based on history because a lot of families are closeted so we ask teachers, friends, anyone who suspects abuse, report it.

“Sometimes reports are unfounded because there is a thin line between abuse and discipline, however, to err on the side of caution, report it, let us investigate.

Children who are supposed to be in school and they are not, that is a form of abuse,” Duncan said.

He said parents still had the right to discipline their child, but it depended on the manner and the severity of the punishment.

“We want to ask people to keep talking to their children. Sometimes children try to tell us things and we don’t listen. We don’t pay attention. We hear them, but pay no attention. We have to look at changes in behaviour of our children to note if something is happening,” he said.

Duncan said the CPU was a dedicated unit and anyone under 18 was protected by them.

“We have nothing else to do..

no accidents or murders. Don’t be afraid to come in. There is a unit in every division. We have a lot of hard working officers who are working under extreme conditions and we are still getting the job done. We are not afraid of the work,” Duncan said.

At yesterday’s launch, chairman of the Public Transportation Services Corporation (PTSC), Edwin Gooding said there were nine buses with paintings by students that carried a message of hope.

United Nations Children’s Fund representative, Patrick Knight, said this was a multipronged approach to protect children against sexual abuse.

He said 47 per cent of girls and a third of adolescent boys admitted that their first sexual experience was forced.

Knight said