Children's Authority chair unhappy at number of reports

The opening of the Children’s Authority (CA) regional office and assessment centre in Chaguanas today is a major milestone, said its chairman.

He added that he was unhappy over the large number of reported cases of abuse against children.

Hanif Benjamin said, "With over 50,000 calls to our hotline and over 21,000 cases of abuses to the most vulnerable, I cannot help but feel anger, hurt and disappointed. Disappointed in the fact that we are hurting our children."

He was speaking at the opening of the office at Main Road, Thomas Village in Chaguanas.

Once the authority receives a call, he said, "It means that the possibility of a happy childhood memory has been tarnished. The fact that we need so many assessment centres and child support centres means we are failing as a society. That is why so much of our work goes into sensitising everyone as far and wide as possible."

Benjamin gave statistics for over four years, saying the authority has celebrated many milestones in the field of child protection. To date, its authority has held 355 sensitisation sessions with Early Childhood Care Centres, primary and secondary schools, teachers, principals, parents, police, judicial officers, NGOs, faith-based organisations and other stakeholders.

He said the authority has closed 5,809 child protection cases, put 90 children in foster care and successfully reintegrated 61 children with their families.

Child protection, he charged, is not just the business of the CA, but everyone's business.

Benjamin said, "The authority has intervened through internal and external counselling (in) 5,066 therapeutic sessions, licensed 19 children’s homes and responded to 2,094 cases of children in imminent danger."

It has also been working with key stakeholders, including the police Child Protection Unit.

The audience applauded when Benjamin said the authority intervened in 838 cases of children who broke the law.

For fiscal 2018, Chaguanas accounted for 7.9 per cent of all reports of abuse the CA received. While this percentage may signify protection concerns in the community, Benjamin said, it also signifies that the community is committed to the fight against child abuse.

Also at the opening were Minister of State in the Office of the Prime Minister Ayanna Webster-Roy, permanent secretary Jacquelin Johnson, the authority’s acting director Gail Sooknarine and deputy director (care services) Rhonda Gregoire-Roopchan.

Webster-Roy said like the other assessment centres at Sangre Grande, Mt Hope, Manahambre and Tobago, the Chaguanas centre will serve as a one-stop-shop in the process of healing.

"What happens in these assessment centres makes the difference between a child receiving care and protection required and the child falling through the cracks. Children who enter these doors will receive the required intervention."