“Our intention is to reduce child abuse by working in partnership with agencies and citizens at the community level…”
That promise by Minister Ayanna Webster-Roy MP, Minister in the Office of the Prime Minister (OPM) with responsibility for Gender and Child Affairs (GCA), at the launch of the ‘In the Know’ Series at the SWAHA Hindu College, Sangre Grande, on Wednesday 3 April 2024.
According to the Minister, the In the Know Series is a GCA initiative, designed to improve the child protection and child abuse prevention capacities of communities in Trinidad and Tobago.
“Parents, educators, and caregivers will benefit from the insightful information about the various issues affecting children, as well as guidance on how those issues can be addressed, and thus prevent abuse from occurring,” Minister Webster-Roy noted in her remarks at the launch of the programme, earlier today.
The GCA Division explains that over the 10 weeks of the programme’s implementation, five communities in Cumuto/Manzanilla will have four sessions each—two for parents and two children.
Ayanna Webster-Roy MP, Minister in the Office of the Prime Minister (OPM) with responsibility for Gender and Child Affairs (GCA) (third from right), celebrates with Cumuto/Manzanilla MP, Dr. Rai Ragbir (third form left), on the successful launch of the 'In the Know' Series at SWAHA Hindu College, Sangre Grande, on Wednesday 3 April 2024. Also at the launch were, L to R Sharla Dass-Hassanali, Project Support Officer, GCA; Rawlinson Agard, Chairman of the Board of Management of the Children's Authority; Kurt Meyer, Permanent Secretary, OPM-GCA; and Irma Bailey-Reyes, Coordinator, Child Affairs Division, GCA. [Image courtesy Office of the Prime Minister]
During those sessions, critical information will be shared with participants to increase awareness on child abuse, as well as highlight the major stakeholders involved in the child protection system.
“In this way, participants can recognise and report child abuse, seek help, and be agents of change within their communities,” the GCA Division says.
There is absolutely no excuse for any form of child abuse,” Minster Webster-Roy asserts, noting that the Series is useful for prevention and early detection of child abuse.
The Office of the Member of Parliament for Cumuto/Manzanilla worked closely with the GCA Division to help design the In the Know Series for the target communities in the constituency.
Parliamentary representative Dr. Rai Ragbir urged his constituents to make full use of the upcoming sessions:
“It is everyone’s duty to do everything in their power to protect our children from predators, he stated.
His call was echoed by Children’s Authority Chairman, Rawlinson Agard, who endorsed the essence of the In the Know Series by urging everyone present at today’s launch to ‘speak up about child abuse and increase their own awareness about how to prevent it.