“Neglect is a crime of violence against children,” says former President David Granger. Incidents of the neglect of children in recent years – such as the abandonment of a foundling at Recess Village, of children at Sister’s Village and of others at Crane Village highlight the high incidence of child neglect.
Former President David Granger, addressing the problem of violence against children on his weekly ‘Public Interest’ programme, described neglect as the chronic failure of a parent (or caregiver) to ensure that a child’s basic need for care, food, shelter and supervision are met; to ensure that a child receives medical attention when needed and to ensure that a child attends school regularly.
Neglect is at the root of child-protection problems reported to the Childcare and Protection Agency.
Mr. Granger believes that ‘children are the country’s future’. As such, he feels that more can be done to eliminate child neglect by coordinating efforts of the Ministries of Education, Health, Home Affairs and Human Services. These four ministries, he emphasized, should work together to ensure that children attend school; are protected from the threat of neglect; that action is taken against employers who encourage child labour and that street children – especially those who are forced to beg – are off the streets.
The former President called for the strengthening of policies to reintegrate teenage mothers in schools; to sustain children without adequate parental care; to reinforce good parenting practices in order to strengthen family life and to regulate the management of childcare facilities.
Mr. Granger asserted that the culture of our country is reflected in the way we treat our children. Every generation has a duty to protect every child everywhere in the country from neglect. This is a shared responsibility – of the family, community, society. “It takes a nation to eliminate this crime of violence against children,” he concluded.
