Although reports of child abuse in Guyana have decreased during the first five months of the year, Childcare and Protection Agency (C&PA) Director Ann Greene says that reporting has been affected by the closure of schools, which are key allies of the agency.
Greene told Stabroek Weekend that she believes the complaints have stopped since the children are at home with their abusers due to the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic.
Greene noted that child abuse is a hidden crime which is mostly done behind closed doors. “Some children don’t have a voice to tell of abuse, some are not even aware that they are being abused, so child abuse is a hidden crime, it is a child in a difficult circumstance,” she further added.
She also said that the reports that are given are usually only the tip of the iceberg because there’s a lot more than what is reported most times.
Just last year there were a total of 4,413 reports of child abuse across Guyana. Out of that number, 2,044 were child neglect reports and 1,056 were sexual abuse reports. From January to May this year, a general analysis by the C&PA has noted that Guyana has recorded 1,250 child abuse reports, down from the 2,051 reports recorded between January and May last year.
As a result of the pandemic, a partial lockdown has been instituted and schools are now closed, except for Grade Six and Caribbean Examination Council (CXC) exams students. Schools, Greene said, are allies for the Childcare and Protection Agency. With these allies closed, the children are at home with their abusers. “The home is where the hurt is for children. You see the irony in that is that you should be safe in your home but for us, a child is not safe in the home. Most of the perpetrators are people who the children are known to,” Greene explained.
She then referred to when she was growing up and her grandmother would tell her not to talk to the “dirty old man” at the corner. She said the “dirty old man” is now in the homes of children, who are being hurt in many ways.
Greene explained that there are many reasons abuse can be seen in the home, especially during the current health crisis. Abuse is sometimes caused by the stress a person might be dealing with. Persons who are unable to cope with the level of stress they are under may take it out on their children, she said. This can manifest as the raising of their voice and the way in which they discipline their children, all as a result of them not being able to cope with their own worries.
Greene explained that many parents punish rather than discipline their children. She said that when disciplining a child, one must do it for the child’s benefit, that is, to instill values in the child. The Oxford dictionary defines “punish” as a verb which means to inflict a penalty or sanction on someone as retribution for an offence.
Using anecdotes, Greene shared instances where children have run away or gone missing while the parent was not looking because of neglect. Neglect is also a form of child abuse. She said one child had run away not because of physical abuse but because no one was watching him. The boy had a mental health challenge and supervision was, therefore, necessary for his wellbeing. She spoke of many instances where children are picked up by the police and taken to the agency for help
Greene said that there has been no rise in abuse levels because there has always been abuse, and it is just that now the abuse is being reported more than before. She spoke of scenarios where persons would be silent about abuse that is being done in homes and among families. She explained that the growth in the number of reports is because people are aware of ways that they can help stop this cycle of hurt. People are better informed about how and who to report to, she said, and through the use of hotlines, social media and also by encouraging children to speak up and be honest about their home life, the reports are growing.
At the time of her interview with this newspaper, the agency was busy tracking down two young children who were reportedly being exploited by persons unknown. Greene told this newspaper that a call concerning the children stated that they were begging for money at a roadside. Exploitation of children, she said, can be stopped, in a way, if persons report these instances rather than encouraging it by giving the children what they are begging for. She assured that the childcare agencies will get to the ‘root’ of the problem once it is reported.
To contact the Childcare and Protection Agency, persons can call 227-0979.
