Latest update April 7th, 2025 6:08 AM
Community support required to help halt abuse – Human Services Minister
“We are not interested in your names, what we are interested in is having the complaints,” said Minister of Human Services and Social Security, Jennifer Webster, as she emphasised the importance of communities helping to prevent incidents of child abuse.
Human Services Minister,
Jennifer Webster
And making reports of child abuse could be as simple as dialling the hotline number of the Child Care and Protection Agency – 227-0979. The hotline is a 24-hour service offered by the Agency.
“Call the hotline number and make the report,” said the Minister as she pointed out that although an individual’s identity is not important, of importance is the need to have “reports received in a timely way so that they can be properly investigated.”
And according to the Minister, too, once all details of a complaint are forthcoming, such as the community, the address and other information, “I can assure you that we will promptly address those issues.”
The Minister’s comments were vocalised even as she responded to questions from media operatives recently.
In speaking to the prevailing situation of child abuse, the Minister intimated her concern that its prevalence is an issue of growing concern to her.
“From time to time you read in the press about a report of children being left alone,” recounted the Minister as she pointed out that Government cannot work in isolation to address the various forms of abuse that occur.
“It is always said that ‘oh Government is not doing enough’ but I want to say to members of communities; that you live in that community and whilst Government is responsible for formulating policies to protect our people, we all have to be responsible for paying attention to what happens within our respective communities,” asserted the Minister.
Webster is therefore optimistic that community leaders, especially religious leaders, could play a crucial role in helping to raise awareness about the role of the community in helping to protect its children.
“The pastor, the Imam and the pandit have to, in their religious teachings, try to speak to their congregations, because it is important that we get the message out there that sexual violence, domestic violence and personal violence is everybody’s business, and if you are aware of something that is going on within your community you need to report it,” the Minister stressed.
She went on to note that oftentimes people are very much aware of various forms of abuse being meted out to children within their communities, yet no one opts to take action. She lamented the fact too that people with knowledge sometimes only come forward with their information after something serious happens.
“Then you hear ‘oh the father was interfering with this child all the time’ or ‘he was beating his wife all the time’.”
Webster said that instead of withholding information that could potentially help to save a life or even lives, persons should seek to be their brothers and sisters’ keepers and not see the cases of abuse in isolation. Persons, according to her, should refrain from viewing any form of abuse as “not a matter of our own personal concern, but we should pay attention because today it might be me and tomorrow it might be you.”
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