This is the third in a series of interviews with children who have been rescued by the Ministry of Human Services being published in recognition of Child Protection Week.
By the time he was 12, Colin* had a police rap sheet but to him that meant ‘street cred’ and it represented the kind of toughness he needed to survive on the streets of Georgetown.
He was locked up twice while still at that age and even a tough guy like him was forced to beg to get by.
The police record lists charges such as damage to property and loitering, for which he spent a few months in detention before being released back into his mother’s custody. But Colin had issues with his mother that started years prior to his detention. At age six he ran away from home and was living on the road with two older brothers who had also fled the home and despite being chased by his siblings and encouraged to go back home, Colin stayed on the street.
He recalled living on the road on and off since age six but permanently after he turned 12. “I use to find it hard to provide for myself and most of the times I did things which I know I shouldn’t have done like behaving bad all the time,” Colin said.
Colin explained that he followed bad company and spent time gambling. When he was not gambling, it was either going around picking trouble or running from the police.
“Anything that go wrong in the house I use to get blame for it; it was always me, me, me like if nobody else didn’t do things,” Colin related in a recent interview. He appeared a bit upset while recounting his past but calmed down shortly after to say that he was really hurt by the repeated accusations. Still unaware of many things, Colin decided to run from his mother and the accusations as well as the beatings which he said were severely inflicted on him.
The fifth of eight children and the youngest boy Colin said he was a wiser than his years and was able to comprehend at age 12 when he decided to run away for good that his mother had serious issues and needed professional help. He said his mother was good at pulling him down and he still feels strongly about it, but he loves her. He choked up during the interview whenever she was mentioned, and though he is not likely to return home after spending his final two years in custody of the state he is eager to rebuild a relationship with her.
The date March 2, 2007 is one he remembers clearly because that was when the Ministry of Human Services and Social Security picked him up off the streets. “I didn’t appreciate it at the time cause I was accustom to the street but someone was always there to stop me from running. I finally realized that I was getting help,” the young man said.
He is now 15 and is bursting with pride because of how far he has come. ““I am proud of myself today and all those people who helped to change me like Ms Greene,” he said smiling.
Colin, who grew up in Sophia but later moved to an East Bank Demerara village, wrote the National Grade Six Assessment examination and secured a place at North Georgetown Secondary School, but he soon dropped out. He said that he was willing to go but transportation was a problem, his mother simply could not afford it. This, coupled with the beatings and the frustration he felt at home pushed him to the streets for good, he recalled.
Colin has accepted that both of his parents are socially dysfunctional. He feels his mother made a lot of mistakes while he was growing up, but blames his father more because he believes that he failed to set an example in the home by sticking around. His father left his mother while he was still young and later went on to start a second family.
Both of his parents are in touch with the ministry and of the two, his father has indicated a willingness to care for Colin. However, the ministry has found that he is willing but weak since he has nowhere to accommodate Colin. Colin’s mother has not shown much real change and the ministry decided that sending him back would only be an emotional decision and not in his best interest.
“I wouldn’t ever go back to the street and now I can’t even imagine begging someone for things, I just can’t do it anymore. I am different person now,” Colin said. He is looking forward to leaving state care and finding a job in two years so he can watch out for his younger siblings. He is aware that going back home could turn into an uncomfortable situation. Colin is therefore preparing to branch out on his own in the next two years.
The ministry is considering taking Colin’s sister into its care but is at its capacity currently. Colin has since pledged to find a job and to help his sisters because his mother is unable to adequately provide for them. As for his brothers who were also on the streets like him, one has been sent to the New Opportunity Corps and is likely to be out next year while the other who is 18 years old remains on the streets — his age prevents the state from intervening.
*The name of the child has been changed to protect his identity.
