Raising awareness of child abuse: These paintings done by sexually-abused children lined the entrance of the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts complex yesterday as part of an initiative to bring awareness to law enforcement officials. The paintings are part of a travelling exhibition intended to highlight the work of the abused children, who range in age from nine to 15 years and who were exposed to creative and art therapy. The inititaive is the work of Blossom Inc, a children’s charity, in collaboration with UNICEF, the European Union, the Child Care and Protection Agency and the Ministry of Social Protection. Social worker and child protection agent and member of Blossom Inc Shaundell Shipley said the objective of posting the paintings was to get members of law enforcement and the judiciary to be more responsive in their investigations and their prosecutions of such abuse cases.
The exhibition was launched in April at the Brickdam Police Station and has so far travelled to regions 2, 5, 6, and 10. Shipley said that taking the exhibition into hinterland areas is a central goal since there are a number of cases of child abuse in those areas and they are not reported for different reasons. However, she said getting into those areas is costly and the organisation cannot afford it but it is looking at other means of getting the message out.
(Photo by Keno George)