Children at Convalescent Home are beaten

Oct 30, 2008 News

… If such cases are found, staff are disciplined – President of Red Cross

President of the Guyana Red Cross Society, Mrs Dorothy Fraser, has admitted that some children who are at the Red Cross Children Convalescent Home are beaten by staff members at the facility.
But when a staff is found beating a child, then that staff member would be disciplined, and if the trend continues, then the errant staffer would be fired.
“It will happen from time to time…We would prefer it not to happen but we are aware that it will happen. We are living in a country that is accustomed to giving children a little slap on the bottom, but we try very hard not to do that,” Mrs Fraser said.
People in the vicinity of the Convalescent Home have reported hearing screams, some of them bordering on the hysterical, coming from some of the children at the facility. Neighbours have complained about the screams and some often concluded that the children are being mistreated.
When questioned about this, Fraser said that there are some children who would scream hysterically, but not because they are being mistreated or beaten, but for various other reasons.
She explained that if a parent comes to visit his or her child, when the parent is ready to leave, the child would start to cry and would become very frantic. Fraser also noted that some children will start to scream even when the staff will apply ointment on their skin.
“It is very difficult and tiresome for the staff to give the children the one on one attention that they need,” Fraser noted.
When questioned about a report of a child dying because of continuous beating from a staff, Fraser noted that she is not aware that any child has died as a result of a beating at the Convalescent House.
“I don’t know of any child ever, ever dying from a beating.”
She explained that there were some deaths at the Home due to heart complications and children who were HIV positive.
“I think that in the days to come we will probably have more children who may succumb simply because of the condition they come to us in.”
Meanwhile, as it relates to the human resources at the home, she revealed that there are some staff members who need to undergo training.
Currently, the home houses a total of 46 children, and, according to Mrs Fraser, some of the staff needs to be trained in order to deal with these children.
The Red Cross has now embarked on a programme of exchange volunteers with some countries, so that the Home can get the assistance of some trained volunteers from other countries, like The Bahamas and Trinidad.
“So it not only needs well trained people, but compassionate people and they are the ones that make a difference,” Fraser noted.

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Children at Convalescent Home are beaten

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