By Mark DaCosta- Nearly 600 pregnancies involving girls under the age of 16 have been reported to Guyana’s child protection authorities over the past five years, yet the government cannot say how many of those children ultimately gave birth. That revelation has prompted Forward Guyana Movement (FGM) lone Member of Parliament Amanza Walton-Desir to question the effectiveness of the State’s child protection framework, arguing that the absence of basic outcome data points to deeper failures in accountability, oversight, and the protection of vulnerable girls.
Walton-Desir’s statements, issued a release Monday, follow troubling incidents that have cast a shadow over the effectiveness of current child protection measures, including the tragic death of a 14-year-old shortly after childbirth, a violent assault on a young mother, and the escape of another teen from State custody. These events underline the inadequacy of the governmental framework to safeguard our youth, particularly girls in distressing situations.
According to information presented by the Ministry of Human Services and Social Security, 584 girls below the age of 16 were reported to the Childcare and Protection Agency due to pregnancies between 2020 and 2025. Walton-Desir described this statistic as a grave indicator of systemic failure, noting that each case signifies a young girl in dire need of assistance from multiple support systems, including healthcare, education, and even law enforcement.
Critically, while the Ministry claims to have a comprehensive framework involving risk assessments, healthcare coordination, and ongoing case management, it has failed to specify how many of these girls who were referred ultimately gave birth. Walton-Desir expressed her disbelief at this gap: “The Ministry states that the Agency is involved before birth, at birth, and after birth. Yet Parliament is being told that the system cannot identify how many girls within that cohort ultimately gave birth.”
Such discrepancies raise fundamental questions about the State’s commitment to data-driven policy-making, which is essential for effective governance. “If we cannot measure the population moving through the system, how do we evaluate whether interventions are working?” Walton-Desir implored, pointing to the need for tangible evidence to guide resource allocation and improve outcomes for vulnerable populations.
The Minister’s responses included information regarding an adolescent maternal support programme which, according to Walton-Desir, still lacks transparency. When the Parliament sought demonstrable outputs and outcomes from this initiative over the past five years, they were met with vague descriptions of activities, insufficient for evaluating success. “There is a fundamental difference between describing what a programme does and demonstrating what a programme achieves,” she asserted, calling for accountability in assessing support to young mothers.
The heart of Walton-Desir’s argument lies in ensuring that public policy prioritises outcomes rather than mere activities, expenditure, or numerics. What matters, she argues, is tangible change in the lives of the children affected — greater safety, improved health, educational achievements, and reduced occurrences of repeat pregnancies. “Those are the measures that matter,” she declared emphatically.
Recent comments from the Head of the Childcare and Protection Agency, acknowledging systemic failures to protect children, reinforce Walton-Desir’s assertions and raise alarms about the State’s ability to safeguard vulnerable young girls. This admission should provoke concern among all who care for the wellbeing of our nation’s youth.
If the frameworks, protocols, monitoring systems, and interventions are indeed in place, it begs the question of where the system is breaking down and how success is being accurately measured. Walton-Desir appealed for a renewed commitment to effectiveness in the face of bureaucratic inertia, emphasising, “If we are serious about protecting vulnerable children, then we must be equally serious about measuring results.” She bluntly articulated that good intentions or bureaucratic descriptions do not suffice in delivering the necessary support to those who need it most.
In a time where the future of our vulnerable youth hangs in the balance, the pressing need for an overhaul of child protection strategies cannot be overstated. Walton-Desir’s call for the government to step beyond mere numbers and address the real impacts of their programmes resonates strongly, urging a collective movement towards sustained and effective solutions for the girls of our country. Only through such measures can we hope to witness genuine improvements in the lives of those who are most at risk. The question remains: will the authorities take heed of these warnings and strive for substantive change?
