A child alone with an alcoholic parent, a ‘little old lady’ who just wanted something to eat and pensioner who wanted assistance in accessing her diabetes medication were among the over 200 calls received by the Child Care and Protection Agency (CC&PA) for the month of April. Of that number, 38 calls were reports of child sexual abuse.
This is according to Director of the CC&PA Ann Greene who told Stabroek Weekend that the agency is still analyzing the figures even as its phones are “ringing off the hook. We have been helping anybody, old people calling for their pension dates, one lady needed her diabetes medicine. Everything we answer because … people know our numbers,” Greene said during an interview.
Since the novel coronavirus was first confirmed in Guyana on March 11, the agency has taken numerous measures to keep its workers and the children in care safe. However, with the curfew implemented, Greene and her workers were also well aware that many children are now more vulnerable as some could be at home with their abusers. CC&PA staff are considered frontline workers and they have been out in the field responding to the various cases.
Greene revealed that they have received some 217 calls about children in difficult circumstances, including some being abused, but also of a mother asking for assistance to buy groceries for her children and that is why the agency termed it “children in difficult circumstances”.
She said in analyzing the data they will be comparing it with other periods, but the process is ongoing as they have not yet completed that for March, the month the partial lockdown was implemented.
But while the agency is in full response mode Greene cautioned that the entire child protection system was not, as schools remain closed. She pointed out that many reports of child abuse are received through schoolteachers and the agency considers them, “frontrunners when it comes to spotting abuse.
“At this time with the partial lockdown the children are with the people who abuse them the most. From the data it is the parents and persons closest to the children who are most times the abusers.”
When school is in session, children who are abused at home get to spend at least eight hours in a safe environment five days a week.
Greene cautioned that even with the numbers they are receiving, abuse is still being under reported.
“I always say at no time figures ever tell the true stories because child abuse is a hidden crime and not readily talked about. Children don’t have a voice. Figures don’t mean anything unless they can be analysed and this will take some time,” she said.
The agency has since appealed to community members to watch out and be a little more vigilant for the nation’s children as with school being out they are more vulnerable.
Frustrated
According to Greene, they have received quite a few reports of children being in the care of parents who are addicted to some substance, especially alcohol. She gave the instance of a child being temporarily removed from his home and placed in the care of his neighbour because of his addicted parent.
“The ones with the addiction, they will go out and come back in and that is a concern. And for us during this period we want to keep children safe. We are essential workers and we are… responding and asking people to call the numbers to provide any assistance to parents,” she said.
There were also many calls of children being physically abused. A mother put her child out of the house and the agency was called to her rescue, while another mother has been accused of lashing her child in the head.
Greene, however, noted that they are aware that many parents are frustrated and stressed dealing the uncertainties of the economic situation.
“Some people earn their monies daily and not being able to earn right now is affecting them. A mother who sells outside of a school is now making no money and the stress level is high, along with the anxiety. While they may be thinking they don’t know what is happening with the virus, they are also thinking about surviving,” Greene said.
She added that the economic uncertainties have added mental health issues and are causing people to become depressed and as such the agency has been giving some tips on helping parents to deal with this unfolding situation.
When it comes to children being sexually abused, Greene said, they are forced to remove them from the homes and that poses another challenge because they are unable to immediately place those children in the regular care facilities. They have been forced to set up a quarantine facility to house those children before they can be officially taken into the care system.
The police also have to launch investigations into the reports and at present there are parents who are waiting to appear in court to answer various charges.
“If the parent is a threat to the child, we move them into our system as a last resort. If we can get an alternative arrangement then we place the child there,” the agency’s director said.
Encouraging signs
Greene also spoke of “delinquent children” some of whom are refusing to stay off the road and listen to their parents. She said because there are still some challenges with the police having processing facilities for those youths, as is prescribed under the Juvenile Justice Act, they are brought to the agency.
“That [the lack of processing facilities at the stations] has created some challenges for us because some of those youngsters are serious juvenile delinquents who need to be pulled in so that they can be processed,” Greene said.
At the agency they are helping out with such cases and recently they have been forced to take two juvenile boys from their parents. They are being processed and will have to be taken to be tested for substance abuse.
“We hope they would behave… I have spoken to them myself and we are giving them an opportunity to not get into the juvenile system because then they would be charged. Right now, we are seeing some encouraging signs…,” she said.
Greene commended her staff for the work they have been doing and said only recently one staff member had to fly into Mahdia, where he has been rescuing children.
“There are times when we don’t get much credit and we don’t want to blow our horns about everything we have been doing. Only recently, we dropped some food for a little old lady because that is what she said she needed. Maybe she didn’t know where else to call, so we are helping,” Greene said.
As regards the children already in care, Greene said that they have been kept safe and there have been no challenges. She said they are not keeping them locked up inside all the time as some have been involved in gardening and they are very excited when the “plants start to shoot out”.
Another set have prepared a cricket pitch and Greene said she will be providing some balls since they have requested same and she wants to keep them happy.
The children are also still involved in schoolwork and some are involved in dancing, but no visitors are allowed to the homes.
Recently, Greene had said that at the three care centres, which house just about 200 children, they were constantly educating the children about the virus and how it is spread and the importance of them washing their hands and keeping themselves clean.
With school being out, they had been placed in groups, lower primary, upper primary and secondary and there are classes going on in an attempt to keep them occupied during the day. She had explained that they usually have tutors in the afternoons but now the tutors are going in during the day to give them classes.
The agency has also been keeping in touch with the private homes and have had to provide supplies to one or two.
“Every week they call the homes. We also keep in touch with the children in foster care,” she said.
The agency will also have to look at what the new norm entails when it comes to early childhood care as this would have to evolve when many parents return to work.
“We are not perfect, but we are doing your best,” she said.
To contact the agency persons are asked to call 227-4420 or 227-7542 along with the agency’s hotline number 227-0979.
