A one-stop centre geared towards accelerating the response to reports of child abuse is set to become a reality in June, Director of the Child Care and Protection Agency (CC&PA) Ann Greene has revealed.
The centre will have representatives from non-governmental organisations (NGOs), law enforcement and CC&PA, as well as prosecution and health services officials.
Greene told Stabroek News following a meeting with representatives from several NGOs at the Cara Lodge Hotel on Thursday that the first centre will be based in Georgetown. The centre will be the first of several to be set up across the country where abused children can receive all the help needed at one location. Forensic interviews will be conducted at the centres and the children will be counselled and also access health care if needed.
The meeting with the NGOs was held under the theme ‘Creating Effective Partnerships’ and it is one of many that the CC&PA is convening with the relevant stakeholders on the establishment of the centres. Recently, the agency held a similar forum with members of the Guyana Police Force.
According to Greene, following Thursday’s meeting it was agreed that in the near future small working group sessions would be held to work out the mechanisms for accreditation of the NGOs as this must be issued before an NGO can be part of any of the centres. She said the plan is to establish a one-stop accredited centre managed by NGOs with representatives from the various agencies working together to conduct forensic interviews for reported child abuse cases.
Speaking to the participants of the forum, Greene said that there is particular need for one-stop centres that allow for an integrated approach to child sexual abuse investigation. She said the centres will be geared to be child-focused, facility-based programmes in which representatives from all the various disciplines work together to conduct interviews and make team decisions about investigation, treatment, management and prosecution of child abuse cases.
“The usage of this approach is known to result in increased successful prosecutions of child abuse perpetrators and allows more healing for the victims-preventing them from being raped twice-have to be telling the hurt over and over and to many times insensitive personnel,” Greene said.
Meanwhile, Minister of Human Services and Social Security Jennifer Webster told those present at the meeting that many of them are the ears and eyes in their communities and have a lot of knowledge of what happens in the communities.
“Let us not think that we can extricate ourselves from having responsibilities of reporting—and it is within that context that I feel that it is necessary for us to achieve a common objective; that is for us to work together to share data because Guyana has been criticised for [the lack of] data collection…,” Webster said.
According to Webster, it is hoped that a formal mechanism would be set up through the CC&PA for the sharing of data so that all the information can be captured into one common database, which would ensure all cases of abuse are captured using a holistic approach.
“I think in Guyana the whole issue of child abuse is one that we feel passionately about and whilst our government has been responsible for putting in place effective legislation I think that we all have a primary responsibility to understand the protective measures contained in the legislation…,” the minister said.
The minister pointed out that aid resources are drying up. Therefore, workshops such as the one on Thursday are important since a way would have to be found for all to work together effectively, with the resources available.
She called for more collaboration and urged the participants to use the forum to develop a framework that is acceptable to everyone and for them to agree on a timeline for implementation. As she praised the NGOs for the work they have been doing the minister urged them to be committed to collaborating and sharing data and working on more sensitisation and awareness programmes.
“Be committed to joining hands together to ensure effective child protection services becomes a reality in Guyana,” the minister said adding that enough will never be achieved if all are not committed to working together.
In her presentation, Greene said there is need for a united front on child protection as there is need for extensive collaboration.
“Our children are hurting and there are not enough of state officers to go around and there will never ever be enough,” she stressed, while adding that child protection is not an easy task and the caseload is limitless and often times case workers are “demonised and put down in the media when something [goes wrong].”
However, she said the majority of child protection workers are committed and often extend themselves at the risk of neglecting of their own families.
She said state and NGO partnership for child protection will ensure that communities across the country are able to help prevent child abuse and offer abused children the services and support that they need and deserve.
