Cox, Paray: Help for Allon's family

SOCIAL Development and Family Services Minister Donna Cox said her ministry is providing assistance to the family of deceased three-year-old Allon Ramdial.

Allon went missing from his Ortoire Village home on Mayaro on December 9.

His body was found at a cove at the mouth of the Ortoire River in Mayaro at around 11.40 am on December 12.

His family has been unable to finalise a date for his funeral as yet. This is due to Allon not being registered at birth and does not have a birth certificate.

Contacted on Saturday, Cox said the ministry is doing what it can to help Allon's family.

"The ministry has been trying, working with the family to get the child's birth certificate and also the death certificate, so I understand that is on stream."

Cox said a social worker has been assigned to Allon's family and is working with them.

"We have also offered them counselling, psycho-social support."

The ministry has also offered food support to the family.

Cox said Allon's mother Christianna Ramdial agreed to accept this support after his funeral.

Mayaro MP Rushton Paray said he met with Ramdial on Saturday.

"The social welfare officer is still working with her to try to get the issue of the birth certificate sorted out. on Monday."

Paray said there is a lot of bureaucratic red tape which much be sorted out to get this document.

"No autopsy can be done unless the child's birth certificate is sorted."

He was aware that the worker was liaising with the Office of the Attorney General and Legal Affairs, which is responsible for the issuance of birth and death certificates, to obtain a birth certificate for Allon.

"In the grander scheme of things, we are hoping that if on Monday, we cross that hurdle with regards to the birth certificate for the child, the autopsy can be done on Tuesday."

Should this happen, Paray hoped Allon's body could be released to the funeral home on Wednesday.

He said this would give Allon's family the option to have his funeral either on Thursday or Friday.