Director of Child Care Board insists that children do not walk away from healthy home environments.
Her words came on the sidelines of the 2024 Child Abuse, Prevention and Awareness Month Walk held on April 27.
Days after a minor who was reported missing weeks previously was traced and after at least three minors were reported missing during the month of April, Director Roseann Richards responded saying that the underlying issues need to be addressed.
we’ve always encouraged parents and children, if there are challenges, these are the entities that you can reach out to
In an interview with media reported in another section of the media, she said:
“A lot of the times you have to look at the precipitating factors.
“A child doesn’t just get up and walk away. Something has to be happening within that family or within that household that is impacting that child.”
In the most prominent case in the past few weeks, as family members including a mother and god-mother made an appeal for the teenage girl in question to return home, Richards answered a question being asked in the public domain – ‘Does the Child Care Board investigate the parents in these cases?’
She said, “We often reach out to parents and we ask them to come into the Child Care Board, or we ask them to seek professional guidance.”
With the charge of Wandering struck down in the local High Court in early 2023, Richards also reminded students that they have recourse as well. They can speak up and speak with trusted persons within their schools. “We have guidance counsellors in all the schools in Barbados.”
Beyond these, she said that government has avenues open for families to access as well. “We have the Welfare Department that also provides psychosocial support to families, and we’ve always encouraged parents and children, if there are challenges, these are the entities that you can reach out to for help.”
The Dover, South coast area was flooded with hundreds of walkers in their blue shorts. On the back of the shirts it said: ‘Protect Our Children, Report Child Abuse’. The walkers ranged in age from young to old. Children involved carried placards as well saying ‘Protect Us’. Some on their signs asked for specifics, ‘Stop Beating! Stop Insulting’. While many focused on physical and sexual abuse, some did highlight verbal and emotional abuse too.
The theme for this year’s Child Abuse, Prevention and Awareness Month was ‘Our children deserve to be safe: There is no excuse! Let us protect them’.
