Latest update January 17th, 2025 6:30 AM
Addressing poverty among factors to help safeguard children – CPA Director
Poverty is not only a risk factor, but rather, a fundamental factor that must be addressed when it comes to the protection of children.
This observation was recently made by Director of the Childcare and Protection Agency [CPA], Ms. Ann Greene.
Greene’s remarks in this regard were forthcoming recently as she addressed a forum held at the Umana Yana in Kingston, Georgetown, which was intended to solicit the support of representatives of religious organisations to aid ongoing efforts to protect the nation’s children.
According to Greene, there must be provision and support for early childhood education of poor or marginalised children who may not have other opportunities for such exposure. But the CPA Director emphasised that “removing young maltreated children from their adverse environments is just not enough.”
She disclosed that there must be recognition of the child’s need for developmentally-appropriate environments outside of the home to support progress over the early years.
Even as she highlighted that the earliest years of a child’s life are the most crucial for development, Greene added that “with proper nutrition and health care, as well as social and emotional support and caring, children are able to thrive physically, mentally and emotionally.”
As such, the CPA Director underscored that when these factors are not present and learning opportunities are inadequate to provide stimulation, development can be seriously impaired, affecting not only the future of the child, but also the family, community and society as a whole.
Ms. Ann Greene, CPA Director
“Poverty is the underlying cause of these situations, and early interventions that take a holistic approach in promoting the conditions that foster well-being are the most effective in breaking cycles of poverty,” Greene related.
Moreover, she did not hesitate to stress that a move towards social change is imperative, if the effort employed by the CPA to protect children is to truly realise the desired results.
“There must be change in the attitude and behaviour towards children,” stressed the CPA Director.
Greene in her presentation to the gathering underscored too that “children must be viewed and treated differently – their rights must be respected and they must be afforded opportunity for positive growth and development.”
She added, “You would agree with me that change must come…change in adults’ behaviours and attitudes towards children.”
In her fervent deliberation, the CPA Director also stressed her belief that through partnership at the various levels of the community, moves can be effectively made to prevent child abuse and promote child wellbeing. Added to this, she emphasised that “there must be reduction in risk factors and increase in protective factors to prevent child abuse.”
Change, Greene highlighted, must come from the people within the society. As such, she made it clear that the Ministry of Social Protection, which governs the operation of the CPA, cannot bring about the needed change independently. “We have to work with the masses,” asserted Greene.
Among some of the factors that must be given close attention in the quest to protect children include, but are not limited to: social isolation of the family, single-parent households, parents’ mental or physical disability or chronic illnesses, children’s mental or physical disability, parents’ lack of education and life skills, parental substance abuse, domestic violence, low-income families, marital instability, teen or early child parenthood, level of tolerance for violence in the community and media glorification of violent acts and suicide.
Measures that can help to counter the risk factors include: support from extended family, community support networks, mental health services at the community level, affordable high-quality day care centres, support from low income families, training programmes for parents, substance abuse rehabilitation programmes for parents, adequate funding for child protection services and community-based child protection mechanisms.
“The risks factors are many… parental mental health issues are a huge factor as well as parental substance abuse and domestic violence. Parents’ lack of education and life skills are rated very high too,” Greene observed. But she noted too, “we have to reduce these factors by increasing the protective factors.”
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