Guyana gets new Childcare and Protection Agency building

May 07, 2011 News

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…Thousands of children assisted since implementation of agency in 2009

The new headquarters for the Childcare and Protection Agency (CCPA) was commissioned at Broad and Charles Streets, Charlestown yesterday.  Present were members of the Cabinet, faith-based leaders and the Head of State.
According to sources at the Ministry of Human  Services, $25M was spent to refurbish the building that once housed the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Equipment and other internal aspects of the building and staff facilities helped push the cost to the final figure.
Director of CCPA, Ann Greene, said that the agency was officially established in June 2009, and to date there has been over 5513 responses based on children who were mistreated and maltreated. It was also noted that more than 828 safe places for children were secured to protect children from harm and abuse.
“With assistance from UNICEF and Child Link (Every child Guyana) we were able to provide psychosocial support to 6922 children and their families, assistance for families to safely care for their children and to end abusive behaviour. But sad to say that in spite of all  our efforts we were not able to protect all the children that needed protection,” Greene said.
She said there is much work to be done to build a safe and protected environment for children.  Adding that the CCPA is up to the task and is better able to do so now with improved accommodation and more staff, Ms Greene said that community groups, including faith-based organizations and the media must help to spread messages to stop abuse of children and who must be responsible when doing stories on children and reporting on matters involving children.
According to Minister of Human Services and Social Security, Priya Manickchand, the childcare agency started with a vision for Guyana’s children, “we want our children to be happy, to be safe, to have a good education, to be prepared to be productive citizens of our country so that Guyana tomorrow is going to be better than Guyana today.”
Manickchand said that throughout Guyana children have universal access to primary education and parents have been assisted by uniform vouchers being provided by Government.
The facility was built with a child friendly appearance and facilities to benefit the beneficiaries, Manickchand said that thousands of children will benefit from the services available, especially those who are not fortunate to have the care that is needed in their homes.
Recollecting the unfortunate accident of sixteen-year-old Nessa Gopaul, the former Queen’s College student who was murdered, the Minister said that the Child Care Protecting Agency, communities, parents, grandparents, church, and school failed in protecting the student.
Noting that the CCPA is not an organization for the lazy, Manickchand said that all the officers of the agency are going to be expected of their very best, which is a standard that will have to be maintained.
It was further noted that the Government alone cannot be responsible for childcare and protection since members of society must join in the fight to protect children. However in the end if these children are not taken care of to become all that they could be, society might also suffer in being victims of their bad behaviour.
President Bharrat Jagdeo said that the staff of the CCPA has to have not only the knowledge but the heart to be successful in carrying out their duties while being effective.
The Head of State further said the Government wants to work in partnership with the constitutional body on children to constantly improve the environment, and assess the services that are being provided to the children and to also improve the policies that are needed to be implemented to better facilitate the situation with the children.
He also said that in order for the agency to be successful, partnerships have to be forged with the religious organizations which have a presence in every community in Guyana.
There needs to be more effort from the pastors, imams and pundits, he said. The President added that there is need to highlight more information on child issues when weekly sermons are being carried out in the respective communities.
President Jagdeo further said that there is a need to change the conversations in society since the environment in which children are being raised is very important. And it is often noted that the environment is characterised by crudity, loose talk, and graphic images without any regard for decency for ‘ourselves.’
“It happens on street corners, happens in homes, happens in schools, on television, everywhere. And so how do we change the conversations in our homes, in society and on our airwaves to those that are productive and help to build some virtues in our children, and not expose them to the environment that is a breeding ground for antisocial behaviour?
“We have started with the learning channel, but it is not enough. In society we have to collectively stand up and say no! We can’t have a pedophile appearing on television and carrying on talk shows.
“We can’t have people everyday preaching bigotry and racism and exposing our kids to that sort of behaviour…We want our children to grow up in a society respecting and loving each other recognising that we are Guyanese.” Jagdeo said.
“I’m leaving the presidency later this year, but with a deep sense of satisfaction that we have done quite a few of the things that we have promised. I do so because we have kept faith with our promises.”

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