Government and the arms of the state must treat with cases of child sexual abuse and assault at Children’s Homes.

This call comes from UWI’s Institute for Gender and Development Studies and the Bankers Association of T&T, under the Break the Silence: End Child Sexual Abuse Project.

Earlier this week, three boys were returned to a home after running away, with claims being made about their treatment at the facility.

The Institute says these recent reports once again highlight the administrative and policy gaps that prevent these institutions from embodying their main objective, which is to be a safe space for vulnerable children.

It says there is a need for continuous psycho-social support for victims of abuse and those close to them, as well as a clear protocol for reporting any breach or compromise of service.

Regarding Child Sexual Abuse, the Institute says this is the second most common form of reported Child Abuse in Trinidad and Tobago, with the first being neglect.

In its statement it says, “The twin island nation reported 915 cases of CSA from May 18, 2015 to February 17, 2016, 1,800 cases within a period of 21 months in the years 2020-2021 and over 500 cases from October 2022-April 2023 (Harracksingh and Johnson 2022; Rampersad 2021; Bishop 2023). The prevalence of CSA is a fact that is common knowledge in Trinidad and Tobago. In fact, in a 2007 survey on the norms and values of the people of Trinidad and Tobago 87% of participants highlighted CSA as a nationwide issue (Matroo 2011 as cited in Reid, Reddock and Nickening 2014, 258). In spite of its prevalence, research indicates that less than 50% of survivors will report CSA.”

It emphasizes that victims should not feel as if they are being punished for coming forward to report CSA and recommended the following:

• The Ministry of National Security and the TTPS should use some of the 6.12 billion allocated in the 2024 budget to furnish police stations across the country with one-way mirrors so survivors of assault in its many forms do not have to stand face to face with their alleged abusers.
• Duty bearers at the OPM must return to the Jones Report and address the challenges related to Children’s Homes and Child Support Centres.
• Persons who work in childcare centres must be relevantly trained to address the impact ofCSA on our children, ensuring that they are not penalised for the actions of perpetrators.Therefore, ensuring that programming is centred on healing and not re-victimizing our children.
• Media personnel must be mindful of the ways in which sensitivity of language needs to form part of our reporting of incidents of CSA.