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CPA touts massive outreach programme
…. added focus on teen suicide
Although teen suicide would not necessarily be described as being “on the rise,” Director of the Child Protection Agency (CPA), Ann Greene, has said that one case of a child killing itself is already dreadful. She said that teen suicide is a grave social issue, and to tackle that issue, Greene said that a stern approach by guardians and adults, in general, must be taken through meaningful community outreach programmes.
Child Protection Agency Director Ann Greene
Greene insisted that the issue of child protection is “everyone’s business” and that a collaborated effort by agencies, communities and the ordinary man on the street is the most vital approach. With this in mind, Greene opined that community outreach programmes would be the best manner to disseminate information while “getting everyone involved.”
“Why should a child commit suicide?” she asked. “They are now starting their lives. Suicide is a permanent solution to a temporary problem,” she described. “But suicide,” the child care director related, “does not run in a family,” as some persons may like to believe. It may however be a trend in a family, especially if past members would have committed the act.
“What happens is that one family member might have used suicide to deal with a situation and another family member, when he or she reaches that point, would too.”
“So what we need to do,” she continued, “Is to do a family watch for suicide.” This, she said, means that if one member commits suicide, the family should be on a watch so that it could get help to deal with issues that they might want to remedy with that ‘permanent solution.’
To tackle this issue, Greene reiterated that continued coalition with varying stakeholders in their community outreach programmes can help. For that purpose, she said CPA officers are currently preparing new outreach schedules and programmes.
Greene pointed out that teen suicide, like many of the other child endangerment issues, should be focused on in the home. The agency is thus promoting family outreach programmes. What this seeks to do, is to arrest the attention of parents, guardians and care givers, so that they would be able to identify negative or impacting issues before these possibly escalate and end disastrous.
In this initiative, Greene said that the agency is gearing parents to be more responsible by paying attention to their children. That is, looking out for signs and signals that would highlight discrepancies. Greene added that for this to take place, many of those children first need to have caring, care providers responsible for them.
“Many of the children we tend to,” Greene said, “are neglected and vulnerable to abuse.” She mentioned that the agency is working to have parents reclaim many of those living in organizations and institutions such as orphanages.
In that way, she said, parents or guardians may be able to play a more meaningful and productive role in their children’s lives. Even fathers can be more effective and the agency intends to reach out to them by giving the support needed, Greene said.
“Fathers are paying maintenance for children through the courts. So we want to help support fathers, particularly those who are labeled as “dead beats”.” “It is not about just paying the child support, but we want to get them more involved in the child’s life.”
Frontline agencies, like the police and health institutes, Greene said, have always been in partnership with the agency, and in terms of child protection and care, more programmes and teamed approaches would be taken. She said that her department wants more emphasis to be placed on these child-affecting issues.
Her agency is always ready to provide training and advice whenever necessary.
In the meantime, investigations are ongoing into the death of 15-year-old Natasha Nazamudeen and 16-year-old Safraz Sattaur, who killed themselves a few weeks apart. CPA had been contacted in connection with the matters since Nazamudeen’s father believed that his daughter was murdered, while Sattaur’s family believed that his suicide was sparked by education welfare workers allegedly making threats to him about Nazamudeen’s death.
Greene had stated that the police were conducting the relevant investigations and that she would be waiting on the results of the probes.
Olato Sam, Chief Education Officer also said the Education Ministry was conducting investigations to ascertain who visited the child and questioned him in the absence of his parents. Both parties highlighted that when needed, the relevant actions would be taken.
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