Diane begs UNC: Don’t let TT’s children suffer

JUNIOR Social Develop-ment Minister Diane Seukeran appealed to the Opposition UNC to put Trinidad and Tobago’s children first and support passage of the Family Proceedings and Media-tion Bill in Parliament. Speaking in the House of Representatives yesterday, Seukeran dismissed Chaguanas MP Manohar Ramsaran as being “contortionist in his ramblings” about the Bill and reiterated the importance of a Family Court in TT.

The Minister said children were often “the silent victims” in family disputes and separations and everything must be done “to lessen the agony and suffering of children in such situations.” “So how this Bill will help them?” was the reply from the Opposition benches. Seukeran responded that children who are scarred under anti-social circumstances become dysfunctional individuals who create dysfunctional families and by extension, dysfunctional communities.

She said the 1998 Mediation Act needed to be repealed because it “was far too loose with no clear definition of what to do.” Recalling that the Act was hurriedly done by the UNC, Seukeran said the PNM was now taking the time to fine tune the legislation rather than rush “and make a million mistakes.” Responding to queries by Pointe-a-Pierre MP Gillian Lucky, Seukeran said the legislation was at a pilot stage and would eventually cover criminal acts such as domestic violence and incest. The Minister told the Opposition “it is high time for this rubbish between us to stop” and urged them to support the legislation.