Ministry probes complaints about St Jude's Home

A DIVISION in the Office of the Prime Minister (OPM) said on Friday it was inquiring into concerns raised on social media about the operations of St Jude's Home for Girls and had made reports to the police.

"The Gender and Child Affairs Division, after being alerted to posts on social media, launched an inquiry and it was determined that matters which were raised in the posts, pertaining to St Jude’s School for Girls, were addressed in accordance with established procedures," said statement from minister in the OPM Ayanna Webster-Roy.

"Due to the established rigorous supervisory oversight, efforts to compromise the programme of activities and the overall care and protection of girls were detected early and were decisively dealt with by the management of the St Jude’s Home for Girls.

"All the related matters were reported to the relevant authorities – the TT police service and the Children’s Authority of TT – and are currently under investigation."

The division reminded the public to be extremely sensitive in depicting cases of abuse, especially those with imagery and audio.

"It has a detrimental effect on the psychological well-being of children."

The division also said the public has a legal and moral obligation to report all cases/suspected cases of child abuse, in any form, to the police service (999) and the Children’s Authority (996).

But it said while it encourages the public to raise awareness of issues related to children and to alert the relevant authorities to instances of abuse, people should not endorsement comments on or circulation of such information "that may mislead or hamper responsible reporting."

It said it remained committed to "working with all stakeholders to ensure rigorous monitoring mechanisms at children’s homes to ensure optimal levels of care and protection."

Vowing its continued vigilance in the national response to eliminate all forms of abuse and child endangerment, the division said, "We maintain that child protection is everybody’s business."