PROTECTING OUR CHILDREN

Oct 01, 2016 Editorial

Children are the most precious gifts to everyone in society, but unfortunately, in Guyana, many are at risk of being physically, emotionally and sexually abused and exploited by miscreants in society. They need our help to protect them from such abuse and cruelty.
Children have the right to grow up in a home where they feel safe and are part of loving and nurturing families. However, this is not always the case in Guyana where the incidence of physical and sexual abuse of children has increased significantly to the point where the Director of the Child Care and Protection Agency (CCPA) of the Ministry of Social Protection has called on the public for help.
The CCPA reports that 2,238 children were abused during the first seven months of the year and there are many more unreported cases.
While girls are predominately the victims of sexual abuse, alarmingly, there are several cases of boys being sexually and physically abused as well. Child abuse is defined as any act or inaction on the part of a parent, guardian or caregiver which results in the neglect, physical harm, sexual abuse and sexual exploitation of children, 18 years and under.It is the inappropriate touching, fondling of genitals, intercourse or making children the subject of pornographic material.
In Guyana, sexual abuse of children is rampant, especially in the rural areas of the country, but this seldom makes the news headlines. Some of these abuses are committed by male or female family members who prey on their innocent young relatives to fulfill their sexual desires.
It is the responsibility of everyone in society and not only the CCPA to play a more meaningful role to prevent the physical and sexual abuse of children.
The statistics on the abuse of children in the country are discomforting. It is estimated that one in three children are abused physically or sexually in Guyana. There are also other forms of abuse of children such as neglect, emotional and psychological.
Neglect is the failure to provide for a child’s basic health, nutritional and educational needs, and the absence of love and affection. Emotional abuse is the constant and repeated acts of verbal insults, name calling, belittling, failing to attend to a child’s needs, and ignoring a child’s interests, among others.
It is perhaps one of the cruellest punishments of a child. Briefly, psychological abuse is the most damaging to children. It involves the rejection, neglect, and the abandonment of a child. It is keeping a child in constant fear.
In Guyana the sexual abuse of children is vastly under reported because family honour prevents victims from reporting. Many consider it a taboo and too shameful to be made public. For these reasons, there are few prosecutions of those who sexually abuse children.
Also, the families of sexually abused children are either intimidated or are often bought off by the molesters, especially if they are politically connected or are from a family with status, wealth and influence.
As a result, the conviction of sexual abuse of children is abysmally low. Recently, there has been significant improvement in prosecuting cases of sexual abuse of children. It is time to grab the bull by the horns.
Studies have shown that children of sexual abuse are more likely to develop anti-social traits as they grow-up, experience problems such as delinquency, isolation, teen pregnancy, low academic achievement, drug and alcoholic use, withdrawal, and mental health sickness.
Every form of child abuse is disturbing and should outrage everyone in society. After all, every child is created by the Almighty for a purpose and each child deserves to experience ultimate joy.

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