Six-week anti-bullying campaign for care centres

Jul 11, 2022 News

Kaieteur News – The Ministry of Human Services and Social Protection has teamed up with the United Bridge Builders Mission Inc. (NGO), a Non-Governmental Organization to conduct a six-week anti-bullying campaign, targeting violence among children, especially in care centres.

CEO of UBBM, Bonita Montaque

This is according to a press release sent out by UBBM on Friday. UBBM stated, “The United Bridge Builders Mission in collaboration with the Ministry of Human Services and Social Protection under the auspices of the Child Care and Protection Agency has embarked on a six-week anti-bullying campaign”

The campaign started on June 30 last and will continue with a planned programme on Tuesday July 12, 2022 at the Sophia Children’s Centre. The Chief Executive Officer of UBBM, Bonita Montaque related to Kaieteur News that her organization decided to get onboard with the campaign because of recent violence that has been taking place in schools. UBBM believes that one of the main causes for violence among children is bullying. The NGO opined too that bullying aggravates depression and increases suicide risk for both the victim and the perpetrator.

Jaheem Strator being attacked by a classmate.

“The main objective of the Anti-bullying training programme is to contribute to the strengthening of child protection and prevention services with the focus of minimizing and eradicating bullying among our children”, the NGO stated.

The six-week programme, added UBBM, will target youths from three care centres in the country, the Sophia Family Care Centre, Plum Park Children’s Home and the Mahaica Children’s home. Care providers from the three centres have already been trained during the campaign to tackle problems arising from bullying.

In March this year, Jaheem Strator, a 16-year-old student of the New Silver City Secondary School located in Linden, Region Ten had to undergo surgery for a fractured skull after his classmate had struck him to the head with a piece of wood. That matter is still under investigation but Kaieteur News had learnt that Strator and his attacker had accused each other of bullying.

Not so long ago, another video had surfaced on the various social media platforms of a female student of the New Campbellville Secondary School in Georgetown stabbing a male classmate during an altercation they had outside of the school’s compound. In 2020, a 15-year-old female student of the Linden Foundation Secondary School was stabbed with a Rambo knife by her peers. The violent attack left her with severe lung damage. These are just a few of violent incidents that had taken place in schools recently. The Ministry of Education was even forced to increase security at the Lodge Secondary School after it was reported that teachers were fearful of violent students.