Police right to hold hand on ‘bullying’

With regard to the alleged bullying at the Mayaro Primary School, I can see nothing in the police’s lack of action which would justify them being called to account.

The threat of court action against the Police Service is ill-advised.

Like the police, I wish to know what the parent wanted the police to do. Should the police arrest the eight-year-old child for causing the injury suffered by the nineyear- old? Ours is one of the few jurisdictions in the world where an eight-year-old can be charged for a crime and we ought to be ashamed of ourselves that this law remains unchanged to this day. I commend the police for holding their hand in this regard. As a parent, my heart goes out to any parent whose child is injured.

I have, however, consistently protested the fairly recent trend of principals handing over to the police the responsibility for incidents, other than very serious criminal ones involving much older students which take place within the precincts of the school.

I regard this incident as a teachable moment. There are many lessons to be learnt, including the duty to supervise children on the playing field and schoolyard and not only within the classroom.

There is also the need, despite whatever developmental or other delay causes a nine-year-old or even an eight-year-old child to be in Standard One, the prospect of financial gain, or the danger of pecuniary loss, that children be taught to speak the truth, that they not be coached to invent or embellish stories or obscure the truth.

Failure to teach these lessons, or worse, encouragement to do the opposite, constitutes emotional abuse of a child, which has more lasting effects than physical injury.

Hazel Thomson-Ahye child rights advocate