‘Horrific’ sexual, mental abuse

Attorneys for the woman have written the Solicitor General and the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Social Development indicating their intention to sue for negligence and violation of the child’s constitutional rights. The child and his mother are represented by Anand Ramlogan SC, Ganesh Saroop, Alvin Pariagsingh and Jayanti Lutchmedial.

The attorneys’ pre-action protocol letter was sent yesterday.

According to the letter, the child, while at the home was the victim of constant sexual harassment and abuse by both staff and residents who would force him to perform sexual favours.

According to the letter, he was placed at the St Michael’s Home for Boys by a Siparia magistrate in 2012 when he was nine. While there, the mother said, he developed abnormal obesity and speech disorders.

Two years later he was diagnosed by Dr Jacqueline Sharpe with, “Prader-Willi Syndrome”, and that his weight and speech challenges were as a result of this genetic condition.

“Our instructions are that from day one, (the child) was subjected to intense bullying and abuse from the other residents and staff of the Home. We are instructed that both staff and students of the Home would often humiliate him for being obese and speaking ‘funny’,” the lawyers said in the letter. Initially arrangements were put in place for the child to receive speech therapy and other medical treatment on the advice of Dr Sharpe.

“This situation changed drastically in or around the latter part of 2014 when the management of the Home was changed. The change in management of the Home resulted in a cessation of medical treatment and associated therapy. As a result, (the child) has now developed significant behavioural issues which are difficult to manage,” the attorneys said.

The child’s mother made several attempts to intervene and he was referred for medical treatment. According to the ten page letter, it was further reported that officials at the home were unwilling to say much except to confirm that the child’s physical and sexual abuse was “horrific,” and an official request was made to send the child to the St Ann’s Hospital to undergo psychiatric evaluation.

This was done in October, 2016, as a ‘temporary’ measure. The lawyers have indicated that they will be seeking to ask the court to refer the matter to the Director of Public Prosecution as they claim there is a cover up by state institutions which have abandoned their duty of care by the ‘shameful and disgraceful attacks’ on the child.