I WAS ALMOST in tears as I read the reports about legal action being brought by five men against the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Port of Spain and other defendants. They are suing for years of alleged abuse at the St Dominic's Children's Home, which they say goes as far back as the 1980s. I was struck by the irony that the news about this lawsuit was released in the same week as World Children's Day. The theme chosen by the UN this year is My Day, My Rights. However, the more stories I hear about the abuse of children in our society, the more I wonder why do we constantly trample on the rights of our children?
In TT, one of the reasons we barely discuss child rights is the normalisation of subtle forms of child abuse. That is, these acts of abuse are not as visible as physical or sexual abuse, so we do not believe they can cause long-term psychological and other types of damage to children. They have become such a normal part of our culture that the harm is now generational. I am referring specifically to child neglect, a type of abuse that is so pervasive we do not realise it exists and often cannot identify that it is taking place.
According to the Children's Authority of TT, neglect remains the most persistent form of abuse of children in our country. Children are considered to be neglected when parents or guardians consistently fail to meet their basic needs - whether physical, emotional, educational, or medical. Ever notice that child who always seems to be dirty, has a bad odour or is always hungry? Or the child who constantly demands affection? But neglect goes even deeper.
Merchant sang about neglect when he described parents leaving their children at home alone to go and lime or gamble. This behaviour can have fatal consequences as children may accidentally cause fires when cooking or using electrical appliances.
Neglect leads to a phenomenon called "parentification," a word I recently learned. This is where children are expected to look after toddlers and even babies. I can hear many of you saying, "Well I had to look after meh brothers and sisters and nutten ent wrong wid me." Some of us are familiar with "latchkey children" who go to school and other activities on their own and are given the house keys so they can let themselves in. Several years ago, focus was placed on children who had to support their parents by selling goods or were missing school to go to work and other adult responsibilities.
The statement that children have a right to be children is a powerful one. They have a right to be safe, to have food, shelter, education and love. Additionally, they have a right to play. Play helps develop their cognitive and social skills as they learn how to solve problems and interact with others. They also have a right to be listened to and believed if they complain about abuse.
But in order to save children from neglect, we must recognise that focus must also be placed on supporting parents and restoring the role of the extended family that we have almost completely destroyed. There is currently a marked increase in suicide ideation, children being lured into gang activity and the increasingly negative influence of technology. As part of addressing this crisis of family, in the coming weeks we will be collaborating with the Children's Authority, UNICEF and key stakeholders to offer much needed information and counselling to parents across the country.
Disgracefully, the lawsuit accused the defendants of ignoring warning signs, failing to report, investigate or even offer care in spite of consistent risks to the children. Thus, the question that Merchant asks, "How you expect those children to grow up?", must be seen as a call for our social services to be more efficient and more kind. Sadly, the calypsonian's cry from over 45 years ago to think about the children is perhaps more urgent today.