Child abuse perpetrators should be charged within 72 hours

Child abuse perpetrators should be charged within 72 hours – CPA Director

Mar 20, 2019 News

The Childcare and Protection Agency (CPA) continues to work assiduously to prevent, reduce and alleviate the effects of abuse and neglect of children.

Police and CPA officials during a discussion

Recognising that the task can only be accomplished through effective intervention and interagency collaboration, the CPA has begun meeting with stakeholders from the Guyana Police Force, Probation Officers, Health and Education sectors, Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) and other agencies to discuss ways to collaborate to better tackle child abuse.
During a recent meeting with stakeholders at CPA, Director Ann Greene, emphasised the need for police officers to work faster and have perpetrators of child abuse charged within 72 hours. Greene said that some police stations move slowly on the charges resulting in perpetrators fleeing the case or country.
“You must be proactive! All police stations should strive for cases to go before the court in 72 hours. Sexual abuse is a crime and the police can’t work out an arrangement with people at the police station.
The issues cannot stop at the police station; if it happens there it is corruption. Police have to charge and there is reluctance with the police sometimes to get persons charged,” Green stressed.

CPA Director Ann Greene

Some police officers present at the meeting related that they experience difficulty with obtaining evidence during child abuse cases.
Greene responded that parents should be held accountable. She explained that the police can get a statement from the child and use it in the case. She advised that the statement can be taken in the presence of a probation officer.
Greene added that there is also reluctance with probation officers to hasten child abuse cases.
She reminded them that their first responsibility and duty is to the child. Therefore, they must do their best in child abuse cases to ensure that the child is free from the abuse and the perpetrator is locked away.
Last year, 481 cases were reported to the agency, with 134 thus far, for 2019.

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