1

C O N T E N T SEditorial

by Heather Stewart .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 2

Lead Story:

Child Abuse in the Caribbean – Does Anyone Care?by Diana Mahabir-Wyatt .. .. .. .. .. .. 3

Up Closewith Hon. Hazel Manning, Minster of Education

Trinidad & Tobago .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 5

Voices of the Children

A Group of Primary School Students Express their Viewsabout Violence Against Children .. .. .. .. .. 7

OpinionThe Effects of Corporal Punishment -

An Opinion by Marilyn Atherley .. .. .. .. .. 10

Concern Over Beating in Schools

by Peter W. Wickham .. .. .. .. .. .. 12

Behind the Curtain - Domestic Violence & Child.. .. .. 00

In Focus…Ongoing Initiatives in the Caribbean to

address the issue of violence against children .. .. .. 14

Getting the Message Out .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 16

News From the Area .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 17

Children in Focus Vol. 2 2003

2

EDITORIAL

Heather Stewart

A cross the globe, violence against children is a reality and international media coverage of

such incidences, starkly highlights thehuman tragedy that can result. Reading andlistening to the reports is often unsettling.The violence can be found in homes,schools, children’s homes, juvenile deten-tion centres, and the streets. Violencetouches the lives of thousands of childreneach year.

Right here in the tranquil Caribbeanregion, violence is also a growing problemfor and among children, especially adoles-cents. A quick scan of media and other reports confirmsthis. A five-month old baby dies from injuries to the

head, sustained during a domestic dispute between his

parents. An eleven-year old girl is lashed with a

bamboo rod by a male teacher, and forced to receive

medical attention at a hospital’s emergency department.

A school-boy fight turns deadly when one succumbs to

stab wounds inflicted by his colleague. A school girl is

brutally gang-raped by a series of men and left for dead

in a deserted area. Conversely, reports are alsoshowing increasing trends in the number of adolescentswho carry weapons to school or elsewhere, who belongto a gang, or who threaten or attack teachers.

So while the family and school are often portrayedas safe social spaces for children, a significant amountof the violence is taking place within their four walls. Weknow that this violence is caused by the way in whichsome persons learn to express their anger. We know thatothers may have character and personality factors thataccount for their abusive behaviour. We know thatviolence may be rooted in the traditional power relationsbetween males and females; the rage caused byexclusion of varying kinds; through the absence ofprimary caregivers; mounting stresses caused bypoverty and unemployment; or through culturalpractices that are not protective or respectful of children.

Yet, as a social policy concern, the full realm ofviolence against children appears to exist only at a sub-liminal level of public consciousness - for most violenceleaves no visible marks. Moreover, children and adultsare often socialized into accepting acts of violence asjustifiable and necessary chastisement – like corporalpunishment. We want to ensure that our children arewell-disciplined and ordered, but fail to consider the ironyof using physical force to bring about a positive changein behaviour in children. We encourage the teaching of

non-violent, conflict resolution skills inschools, but fail ourselves to practice theseskills and demonstrate to our children howthese skills can and do work. We acknow-ledge that families need help, but have onlyoffered parenting education, without thevital parenting support. We desire our youngpeople to have respect for authority, yet weblatantly flaunt our arbitrary use of power.

This issue of Children in Focus exploresthe views and alternatives against corporalpunishment in some of the countries in theregion. While varying contributors offer theirviewpoint on the subject, nothing they say

suggests that children should function in permissiveenvironments. Where discipline is to be maintained, aclear set of behavioural boundaries and sanctions foroverstepping those boundaries, is required. The use ofappropriate sanctions must be used in evenhanded andjust ways.

Internationally, the Convention on the Rights of theChild (CRC) upholds children’s right to protection from“all forms of physical and mental violence, while in thecare of parents and others.” Furthermore, the Commit-tee on the Rights of the Child, the highest authority forinterpretation of the Convention, has consistently ruledthat there is no compatibility between the Conventionand the legal and social acceptance of corporal punish-ment of children. The Committee has admonishedCaribbean and other governments to look to thepositive examples of those countries whose explicit banof corporal punishment, pre-dated the Convention.

As Caribbean countries must live up to the obliga-tions enshrined in the Convention, the fact must be faced- corporal punishment is one of the existing social normsthat illustrates a degree of tolerance for a form ofviolence against children. They must also face the factthat today’s society cannot simply resign itself tomanagement of the violence that crosses the legitimateline. Rather the aim must be to eradicate all forms ofviolence, against all people. This challenges the existingcultural practices that condone forms of violence againstchildren, such as ‘lashing’, ‘smacking’, or ‘spanking’ –forms of violence that are no longer tolerated againstadults. The region must seek to ensure equality ofhuman rights for ALL of its citizens.

Heather StewartProject Officer, Child Rights

UNICEF Caribbean Area Office

3

LEAD STORY

Alittle boy called Akiel wasbuggered by an adult malewhile at a school friend’s

birthday party. In Trinidad, it is notsafe to allow children to travel bypublic transport to parties in upscalesuburbs, so his aunt, with whom helived, took him to the party in a taxi.When she went back to pick him upfrom the party to take him home,however, he could not be found. Thenext day his body was found in theswimming pool at the birthdayhouse, where it had not been thenight before, when the frantic auntand other adults, including thePolice, searched all over for the child.The autopsy showed that he wasbeing buggered for quite some timeby an adult. In fact, the autopsy hadto be done twice since the aunt wasdissatisfied with the results of thefirst autopsy, which determined thatthe child had died from drowning,and never mentioned sexual abuse.When the second autopsy showedthe extent of the sexual abuse, andthe paucity of fluid in the child’slungs, questions started to be asked.The newspaper reports of the in-quest were graphic and terrifying.Buggery of a small child stretchesthe muscles of the anus to an extentthat can so damage the muscle thatthe child may be unable to controlhis passage of faeces. To speculateon how painful that must be for alittle boy is useless once the child isdead. But someone, obviously, didnot care.

Another child, in South Trinidad,was brutally raped the followingweek. She was twelve years old, andwas badly damaged in the process.Her mother, who is only twenty-sixherself, has seven children tosupport, the rape victim being theoldest, and who bore the brunt ofthe frequent beatings that themother dishes out to all seven ofthem. The child has not menstruatedsince the rape, and has yet to betested for either AIDS or pregnancy.When the rape was reported to thePolice Station, the Woman Constableon duty refused to take the reportbecause, she said, she couldn’t takea report from a child, although themother was there. Eventually, achild rights activist from the YMCAintervened, and the Police Officerreluctantly took the report. Therewas never any news report on theincident. There rarely are reports ofrape of girl children that age. Thereare too many for them to be ‘news’.

Most are not even reported to thePolice, unless, as in this case, themother hopes to get help for themedical expenses. No one caresenough.

Child Abuse isPrevalent in Caribbean

Communities

There have been numerousinstances of children being beatenby irate parents, step-parents andother family members to “correct”their behaviour, when they have notcontrolled their bowels, when theyhave eaten something not meant forthem, when they did not hear orobey an order fast enough, or whensome *shannon assigned task wasnot done to the satisfaction of theadult. Some of these children havedied as a result of the beatings.Others have been left deaf, partiallyblinded, with twisted and broken

CHILD ABUSE IN THE CARIBBEAN - DOES ANYONE CARE?by Diana Mahabir-Wyatt

Akiel and “Shannon’s”* Story

…cont’d on next page

All children havethe right to be

protected from anyform of harm and

violence

4

limbs, and with permanent mentaldamage where the blows hit thehead. Often, when the child is takento the hospital, (and this is notalways possible) the batterer ispresent, and the damage to the smallbody is reported as having beencaused by “a fall”. It happens everyday and social workers available toinvestigate and do something aboutthese children–at risk and others intheir families just do not exist.

Professionals Seem Reluctant

to Report Incidences

What are CaribbeanGovernments doing about

child abuse in the Caribbean?

The cases above are commonenough in all the Caribbean terri-tories. In the hospitals, governmentdoctors refuse to report such casesas child abuse, even where the lawmakes it mandatory, because it willmean tying up their time in Court.Precious time which they feel is bet-ter used to get someone else well,rather than in sitting around waitingfor a case to be called which - oftenas not - is postponed because oneor other of the lawyers is not readyto proceed.

The doctor who performed thefirst autopsy on little Akiel, whodidn’t comment on sexual abuse inhis findings, was a governmentemployee. The policewoman whorefused to take the report in the caseof the child rape victim was also agovernment employee. It is doubt-ful in the extreme that either of themwill be disciplined for negligence.

There is no child-centeredness togovernment and judicial policies orprocedures in the Caribbean. Otherthings, like fighting crimes againstproperty such as robbery and fraud,and co-operating with the Americansin the war against drugs take prece-dence. Governments provide littleor no support for single mothersfrantic with worry and panicked overthe thought of having to supportfar too many children. None of theCaribbean Governments pays outfamily allowances, as happens in thedeveloped countries, so that at leastminimum conditions of food andclothing can be provided for themost disadvantaged of children.

And children growing up in thesecircumstances are not valued. Theyare burdens to be kicked around,frequently running away to live onthe streets, turning to a life of roughusage and exploitation by criminals,and then into criminal action of theirown. Although there are govern-ment-supported orphanages, mostof the shelters for abandonedchildren are run, often poorly, bycash-strapped NGOs, frequentlywith no government help at all.

Caribbean territories, prohibiting thesexual exploitation of minors,violence against and neglect ofchildren, and providing for compul-sory education. In all Caribbeancountries there is provision for theregistration of children at birth, thefirst step towards establishingcitizenship rights. Most of the majorprovisions in the Convention onthe Rights of the Child are coveredin some form by legislation. Unfor-tunately, few, if any of the Caribbeancountries studied have allocated theresources necessary for the imple-mentation of the legislation andthe policies that arise from them. Inparticular, very little - if anything - hasbeen done in most countries tochange the tradition of violentpunishment of children by theircaregivers at home and at school.

There has been little publiceducation other than that given bythe few religious bodies thatpromote the words of Christ:“Suffer the little children and forbidthem not…”. Most beaters ofchildren quote King Solomon:“Spare the rod and spoil the child”although the Bible tells us thatSolomon had 300 wives and 600concubines and countless children,became a worshipper of a localdesert god who demanded the bloodsacrifice of babies as part of hisworship, and that his own ãonsturned out to be cruel and despoticleaders. Hardly a role model on howto bring up children!

Corporal punishment in schoolsis often carried out in extreme forms,and there has been little effort by anyof the Caribbean Governments, to

LEAD STORY …continued from page 3

Very little - if anything - has

been done in most countries

to change the tradition of

violent punishment of

children…

All Caribbean Governmentshave policies for social develop-ment, through which they expressconcern about the needs of children.Legislation is in place, in all

5

LEAD STORY

change this, even in instances whereeducational policies state other-wise. Internet searches indicatethat Trinidad & Tobago is the onlycountry in the English-speakingCaribbean, where the law clearly andexpressly forbids corporal punish-ment in schools.

as a child and look at me! It didn’t dome any harm!” testifies how lack ofself-knowledge combined with nounderstanding of child developmentleads to self-delusion. Worse thanthat, as statistics of violent crime inthe region show, it steadily escalatesthe levels of violence that those whowere beaten as children, exhibit asadults.

What Needs to be Done

There is a need to be pro-activein trying to save the children of theregion from child abuse, which isoften tied into poverty cycles.Independent research on the long-term social and economic effects ofdomestic violence and child abuse inthe Caribbean should be commis-sioned by the governments of theregion. There should be publiceducation programmes, includingparenting education, in all secon-dary schools in the region citing thedangers of corporal punishment,and teaching skills in non-punitivediscipline and stages of childdevelopment should be twopriorities.

More human resources must beput into the implementation ofexisting legislative and policymeasures intended to protect

children at risk, and the operation ofinstitutions established for care andshelter of children at risk must beclosely monitored. Greater collabo-ration with international agenciessuch as UNICEF, Raada Barnen, theSociety for the Prevention of Crueltyto Children and the UN MonitoringCommittee for the InternationalConvention for the Rights of theChild should be sought.

There are numerous interna-tional agencies set up for the protec-tion of the rights of all categories ofhuman beings in all parts of theworld, and less than a dozen set upto protect the rights of children.So that the phenomenon of notgranting priority to the needs ofchildren is not one limited to theCaribbean, but it is one the Carib-bean needs to focus on for its ownprotection and that of the future ofits societies. ■

Ms. Diana Mahabir-Wyatt is Chair ofthe Trinidad & Tobago CoalitionAgainst Domestic Violence, and anExecutive Committee Member of theTrinidad & Tobago Coalition on theRights of the Child.

People literally do not

know that corporal

punishment is harmful to

the development of

children’s brains.

At any rate in Trinidad, beatingscontinue to take place in schools,particularly in privately-run andnon-supervised pre-schools andprimary schools. Partly this isbecause teachers in these schoolsare often themselves untrained inclassroom management and non-punitive discipline, and also becausethere has been no public educationgenerally on the impairment effectscorporal punishment has onthe neurological development ofchildren. People literally do not knowthat corporal punishment is harm-ful to the development of children’sbrains, and the often repeatedjustifying statement: “I was beaten

6

UP CLOSE…

Q: Would you say that issue of

flogging children is seen as a cultural

norm in Trinidad and Tobago?

A: It was a norm, as it might havebeen worldwide at different times.However, we are witnessing atransition in values regardingpunishment within our society. It isimportant to recognise this. Theexposure both children and adultshave to the outside world, has neverbeen as much as it is today - it maybe said that societal values arebecoming more universal andgenerally there is a tendencytowards a gentler, more develop-mental and more humane. At thesame time, the concepts of inter-dependence, mutual co-operationand respect for each other are nowwell imbedded in educationalthought. Led in particular byuniversal organizations and themore developed nations, a heigh-tened awareness of children’s rightsand avoidance of violence and abuseof children have influenced legisla-tion in developing countries such asours. The net effect of all of this hastrickled down in no uncertain termsto classrooms and homes. As aresult, even those parents who stillpractice flogging in the homes arenow showing signs of reflecting on

the issue. Flogging in schools nolonger has the universal supportfrom parents it might have had in thepast.

Q: Why did the Government of

Trinidad and Tobago adopt the

policy of abolishing corporal

punishment in schools?

A: Actually, the Government ofTrinidad and Tobago has neverabolished corporal punishment. Thejudicial system still uses corporalpunishment and the Children’sOrdinance, an old piece of legislationthat is still current in law, still speaksof punishment that is ‘reasonable’for children. The Education Act of1966 is silent on the issue of the useof physical punishment of studentsin schools. The question is really theinterpretation and meaning thatpeople put to the word ‘punishment’.

This must also be seen in the lightof the more modern developmentalapproach that is taken by universalorganizations such as the UnitedNations, which seek to guaranteecommon rights for all children.Trinidad and Tobago is a signatoryto these ‘Conventions’ - as they arecalled. Although there is a package

Hon. Senator Hazel Manning is Trinidad & Tobago’s Minister of Education, a position shehas held for the last two years. In this position she is able to utilise her skills and acquiredtechniques to streamline and improve the standard of education, both aesthetically andscholastically. A Social Scientist by calling, she obtained a B.Sc. in Social Science from theUniversity of the West Indies (St. Augustine) in 1972, followed by a Post-Graduate Diplomain Public Administration from the same university in 1987. Senator Manning has offeredher services in the study of social development for 29 years, and has conducted numeroussocial research projects leading to the design of social policies and the implementation ofsocial works. Mrs. Manning has held a number of related positions before becoming aSpecialist Consultant in 1997. Among them are Business Development Manager at theAirports Authority, Head of the Research Unit of the Ministry of Planning and Development, Manager of the Social Affairs Unitof the National Housing Authority, and Research Officer in the Ministry of Finance and Planning. She is the Founder andChairperson of the Self Esteem Foundation of Trinidad & Tobago.

Hon. Senator Hazel Manning

of new legislation, measures andinstitutions that will address themismatch of our current laws withthese universal conventions, theyhave not yet been proclaimed aslaw.

Thus the notion of litigation andwhere schools stand in the eyes ofthe law regarding corporal punish-ment is of paramount concern. Thecorporal punishment once used asan integral part of teaching in thepast could now be interpreted asassault. In this period of transitionin a societal sense, educators wouldarguably prefer to be on the cuttingedge of their professional develop-ment seeking alternative approachesto student learning.

Q: What alternatives to corporal

punishment have been imple-

mented in schools?

A: With all that we know nowof how children learn and howimportant it is for countries todevelop their human resourcesproperly, the Ministry has taken amodern approach to learning. Itsapproach is to develop moderncurricula, assessment and teacher-education methods based on a

7

UP CLOSE…

developmental approach. This kindof approach embraces currentconstructivist techniques, whichrecognize the importance of propersocialization, relevance and mean-ingfulness in the things we teach.Further, our modern methodsembrace the concepts of projectwork and cooperative or teamefforts, which mirror work in the realworld.

With these methods, studentsdevelop at their own pace and intheir own ways, constructingindividualised knowledge anddeveloping their own brand ofcreativity. In short, our structures arebecoming less regimented and theknowledge that we promote inschools is becoming less prescrip-tive and of greater interest to thechild. Schools are becoming morechild-centred. In such a mode,encouragement and understandingbecome of greater importance thanpunishment in the learning process.

Q: How effective have been these

measures in instilling discipline

among the students?

A: In a modern developmentalapproach, the discipline that isinculcated is the discipline of co-operation, mutual respect for therights of individuals, creativity andpersistence in discovery andconstruction of knowledge. It is thediscipline that children learn frompursuing the development of theirtalents in a real world environmentwith real world disciplines of

learning. Curiously, in the newdispensation, competition willeventually give way to cooperative-ness - this, of course, has not yetbeen achieved. It is not necessarilythe discipline that emerges fromfear of physical punishment orworking with terror or abuse as themotivator.

Q: How did Trinidad and Tobago

effect the change? Based on this

experience, would you recommend

a similar or different implementation

strategy to other Caribbean

Governments and why?

A: The improvement in our educa-tion system in the post-colonialera, started since the 1960s. Thanksto an enduring commitment toimprovement, we are starting to seethe changes of which visionaries ofthe past conceived. It has been, andwill continue to be, steady and com-plicated work. Some might arguethat some of our Caribbean counter-parts have gone ahead of us incompleting the modernisation oftheir systems.

Q: In what other ways has the

Government of Trinidad and Tobago

been trying to curb the increasing

trends in societal violence?

A: What can be said from theMinistry of Education’s standpointis that we have had to address thefact that runaway elements of thesociety have become more violentand criminal in nature. This is

impacting on the school system ina negative manner. Our SchoolIntervention Strategies Programmeshave been specifically designed toaddress this issue trying to containsuch influences so that significantdegradation of the system’s qualitydoes not take place. Some divisionsof the Ministry such as SchoolSupervision, Curriculum Develop-ment and the Central Guidance Unithave been particularly preoccupiedwith coping with the impact of theseradical social elements on thesystem. In this regard, the Ministryof Education is about toinstitutionalise a Student SupportServices Unit that would be holisticin its approach to develop social,psychosocial, emotional andspiritual well-being among otherfactors.

It might be worth the while to pointout that generally, parents are moreconscious now of the importanceof schooling and the importanceof maintaining quality in thesystem. The school system is doingcomparably well and the quality ofour results at important examina-tions is improving. However, thereis still a long way to go in thejourney towards total schoolimprovement. ■

Responses were developed in consultationwith Mr. Joseph Ragoonanan, SeniorGuidance Officer II, and the Ministry’srepresentative Human Rights ConsultativeCommittee of the Attorney General.

8

VOICES OF CHILDREN

Violence against children is abusingthem. Making them work wherethey will get harmed. I think itshould be stopped. For example,parents should not beat childrenbecause they’re angry, and theyshould not make them use a saw tocut wood. I think we should put alaw that states that we should notbeat children. Don’t forget, childrenhave rights.

Arielle Pilgrim, age 10

Child abuse must be stopped. Byletting children stay near to theirmothers and fathers so that if some-one came and took their children,they can tell the police. Parentsshouldn’t let children do work thatis not good for them.

Tiffany Bynoe, age 10

Child abuse must be stopped.Children are being hurt, injured andcursed. This must be stopped bygoing to church and learning aboutGod and His ways. The adults whoare doing these things will be likeGod as long as they go to churchand read the bible. A child shouldn’thave to go on top the house andpaint it. It is too dangerous. Theymight fall off and get severely hurt.Parents should be smart and protecttheir children.

Misha Walker, age 9

Violence against children is childabuse. It can be stopped by justexplaining your feelings to yourparents. Let them know how youfeel.

Tatyana Atkins, age 9

Violence against children is abuse.It can be stopped by letting the childtell other people so that they can dosomething about it.

Janelle Sealy, age 9

Violence against children is childabuse. Child abuse can be stoppedby talking it out and not shouting.

Warren Sayers, age 8

Violence against children is whenparents lash them mercilessly. Ithink you can stop it by telling thechildren “you’re grounded” so theywouldn’t get lashes.

Jonathan Gamble, age 9

I think abuse against children is mak-ing them do work that parents aresupposed to do like cleaning thehouse, washing the car by them-selves, lashing them, making themstay at home by themselves, not let-ting them have friends, and not let-ting them go to movies with friendsand family. ■

Gabrielle Elcock, age 10

Article 19 of the Convention on the Rights of the Child, states that States have an obligation to protect childrenfrom all forms of violence.

Children who toured the UNICEF/CAO Information Centre during this school term, were asked to describe intheir own words what they thought constitute violence against children and how they thought it could be stopped orprevented. Below are some of the responses from a group of Class 3 students of the People’s Cathedral PrimarySchool in Barbados:

Class three students from the PeopleCathedral Primary with their teacher,Mr. Miller. During their visit to theInformation Centre, all students sharedtheir thoughts on the topic of Violenceagainst children with the UNICEFprogramme staff.

Students from the People’s CathedralPrimary School, Barbados, whose viewson “Violence against children” are re-flected below

front Row l-rJonathan Gamble, Tiffany Bynoe,Arielle Pilgrim, Shareece Clarke,

backrow l-rWarren Sayers, tatyaana Atkins,Janelle sealy, Gabrielle Elcock.

9

OPINION

I recently attended a conferenceon research in child development. One symposium at the

conference has made me think evenmore about the issue of corporalpunishment and its effects onchildren. This particular symposiumwas entitled: “Physical Disciplineand Children’s Development: ACross-cultural Perspective”. Listen-ing to the research papers presentedand the discussion that followed ledto some thoughts of my own.

Research and discussions onthe issue of corporal punishmentand its effects on children seem tobe focused mostly on some of theeffects of corporal punishment.Emphasis has been on effectsassociated with aggressive and/ordisruptive behaviour, anxiety dis-orders and to some extent academicperformance. But I question theother effects of corporal punishmentand the need to study those also. Weneed to examine other issues suchas what the victim of corporal pun-ishment is internalising, that is, howdoes she feel about herself? What ishis level of happiness or joy withlife? What about her self-confidenceor sense of empowerment?

Not doing well in school issometimes accepted as one of theconsequences of the emotionaleffects of corporal punishment. Butmost times, only extremelypoor academic performance isrecognised as related to physicalpunishment. We forget that even thethreat of such punishment can have

THE EFFECTS OF CORPORAL PUNISHMENTby Marilyn Atherley

the same emotional effects. Whatthen is the acceptable level ofacademic performance thatconcludes that the effect of corporalpunishment is not significant? If achild is doing reasonably well, do wetake that as a sign that the child is“benefiting” from the punishment orat least not being affected by it? Arewe sure that the child has reachedhis full potential? Or is he capableof doing even more and better if thefear and physical and emotional hurtwere not there?

includes disappointment (this wassomeone the child was dependingon to love him unconditionally andteach him about loving and caring),loss of sense of safety, fear of adults,confusion about what has happenedand why it has happened, feeling un-worthy and insecure.

This emotional pain is stored inthe nervous system along with thememories of the experience, sincemost times following the physicalpunishment the child is not given theopportunity and support to workthrough these painful emotionsaccompanying the physical punish-ment. We know now a lot about howthese stored painful emotions blockour intelligence and good thinkingand cause us to react inappropriatelyin even unrelated circumstances.We know how these emotions canact as triggers to inappropriatebehaviour for as long as they remainunresolved and stored.

We often see adults who areunable to cope with life; who havedifficulty building and maintaininggood relationship; who are trying todevelop and maintain a career; theyare not fully developing and usingtheir talents and skills, but settlingfor less than their full potential.These may all be results of emotionalblocks resulting from the unresolvedeffects of physical punishment inearly childhood.

Because most adults look likethey are doing well, we are fooledinto thinking that we have not been

The effects of corporal

punishment are long-term.

They can in fact affect

the victim for the rest

of his life.

The effects of corporal punish-ment are usually measured inchildren elementary school andperhaps the first few years ofsecondary school. In other words,we are only studying the short-termeffects of corporal punishment. Theeffects of corporal punishment arelong-term. They can in fact affect thevictim for the rest of his life. We needto study the effects, both direct andindirect, of corporal punishment onthe adult’s life.

A child who is physicallypunished internalises a deepemotional hurt along with thephysical pain. The emotional pain

10

OPINION

affected by that early hurt, or that wehave managed to get over it. We arein fact only surviving and doing soby using a huge amount of attentionand energy which could be put tobetter use to make our lives moreenjoyable and fulfilling. It couldpossibly be that our level of accep-

tance of how life could be is too low.We do not take into account themaximum potential that we ashuman beings really could reach ifthose hurts were not limiting us.

When parenting gets difficult forus and we feel as if we have nothing

The preceding article was reprinted with permission by the author. It first appeared at www.suite101.com and was excerptedfrom a Trinidad & Tobago newsletter entitled Parenting Support (Issue No. 28 April – June 2003). Marilyn Atherley is anEducational Psychologist, Freelance Writer and Counsellor born and raised in the Caribbean. As a Consultant she travels aroundthe globe training and learning from parents, educators and young people. This, coupled with her parenting experiences for thepast twenty-one years, have provided her with invaluable insights into human behaviour and learning. She has chosen writingas one of the vehicles for sharing these insights and expertise with others. Some of her work can be seen at http://www.suite101.com/welcome.cfm/social_emotional_learning), www.ajoyfulplace.com, www.counseling.org, www.momsvoice.com. She is theauthor of ‘Students Really Want to Learn - A Counselling Guide for Teachers’, ‘Helping Your Child Through School’, and ‘A JoyfulPlace Called School’. She can be contacted at The Study Centre in Trinidad. Tel: (868) 645-6296, or Tobago, Tel: (868) 660-7476,or email joyfulplace@yahoo.com.

else to resort to but physical punish-ment, we must try to remember thatour actions today have effects onour children. We may not be able todetect that effect right then. But thehurts that they are exposed to now,can re-emerge as obstacles to a fulland satisfying adult life. ■

11

CONCERN OVER BEATING IN SCHOOLS IN BARBADOSby Peter W. Wickham

OPINION

A report that appeared in theDaily Nation sometime agothat an eight-year-old

student had been “bruised” whilebeing flogged at school, should senda clear signal to authorities that thismatter of flogging is in need ofurgent attention. While this reportand the tumultuous discussion thatit provoked centered around thealleged use of “excessive” force,it points to a much larger issuethat successive governments inBarbados have chosen not toaddress.

This is virtual absence of anyclear policy regarding beating inschools, including the conditionsunder which flogging is appropriate,the way such punishment is to beadministered, who is responsible foradministering such punishment andwith what. Such regulations wouldseem so vital that it would surprisemany Barbadians that the Ministryof Education is at this time unableto produce such a policy document.Moreover, it would further appearthat several school Principals (pastand present) and teachers cannotrecall ever seeing such a documentthat could guide them in administer-ing such a punishment.

Efforts to identify and critiquesuch a policy document led thisauthor to check with the Ministry ofEducation, select school principalsand past principals, teachers andparents. Interestingly, none of thesepeople can recall ever seeing a clearexplicit policy in black and white that

establishes rules for flogging. Basedon the verbal pronouncements of theMinistry it would appear that theMinistry condones flogging with“moderate” force in circumstancesthat appear appropriate to thePrincipal. Notwithstanding, theMinistry cannot provide a parent orinterested member of the public witha document that gives explicitinstructions. Moreover, it cannot bedisputed that this broad rule is oftenvaried to allow junior teachers toadminister floggings in the interestof “instant justice”.

Evidence of some amount ofregulation was provided by the onepast primary school principal thebeloved Miss Daphne Maxwell,herself a believer in the efficacy ofthe whip. It was apparently thecustom for some time to recordincidences of behaviour that led toflogging, in a notorious “Black Book”which would be made available forfrequent inspection by the ministry.Regrettably this practice seems toalso have fallen by the wayside.

Against this background itshould therefore not surprise anyonethat the incident that gave rise to thatreport occurred, or is likely to occuragain. As with most other mattersour policy makers seem satisfied tobe “reactive” instead of “proactive”,hence we can expect to wait until oneof our nation’s children is severelyinjured by an overstressed school-teacher, before some policy is devel-oped to address flogging.

It is possible that government’shesitance to articulate any clearpolicy and guidelines that could bescrutinised is due to the tremendouspublic debate that this issue is likelyto evoke. Indeed, flogging in schoolsshares several characteristics withthe death penalty and the floggingof criminals, where the public isvocal to the point of fanaticism anddivergence of opinion is oftengreeted with hostility. High levels ofpublic support for both of thesepunishments have already beenrecorded in Nation/CADRES polls.This is no doubt part of the reasonwhy this practice has not yet beenbanned altogether, as has been doneis several other countries.

Flogging Children

– Hypocritical?

Persons supporting the continu-ance of flogging should, however,

Indeed, flogging in schools

shares several characteristics

with the death penalty

and the flogging of criminals,

where the public is vocal

to the point of fanaticism

and divergence of opinion

is often greeted with

hostility.

…cont’d on next page

12

OPINION …continued from page 11

consider the inherent hypocrisy ofbeating a child, while emphasisingthe impropriety of the same childusing violence against anotherhuman being. This is an issue thatcontinues to perplex several parentsfrom all generations. Nonetheless,supporters can be expected todefend themselves by the often“unscientific” reference to the adagethat you “spare the rod and spoil thechild”. This of course convenientlyignores the fact that this currentgeneration that is often referred toas lost, was weaned on the whip.

Regardless of which side of theargument one takes, there is unlikelyto be much opposition to the

suggestion that flogging in schoolsis in urgent need of examination andregulation. Parents cannot help butbe concerned that currently they taketheir children to school each day andessentially surrender them to theabsolute discretion of Principals whowould no doubt have differentopinions of what constitutes“moderate force”. Worse still is thefact that some of these Principalshave been know to “delegate” thepower to flog in the interest of theteacher being able to react swiftly tosituations that require punishment.A practice that inherently exposesthe child to the teacher’s uncheckedanger at a particular point in time.Certainly, this latter scenario already

has and can lead to further substan-tial abuse of our nation’s children.

There is no doubt that theMinistry of Education is not happywith reports such as those made inthe press. The reported reactionfrom that section of government that“sometimes accidents do happen,but we do not like children to beinjured” is not likely to encouragethe parent of any abused child to beconfident about the appropriate useof force in local schools. Moreover,attempts to censure any teacher forcausing such an accident is likely toflounder in the absence of any clearguidelines. ■

This article is reproduced with the kind permission of the author.Mr. Peter W. Wickham is a Political Scientist and a Director of Caribbean Development Research Services (CADRES).

13

IN FOCUS…

The following are highlights of some of the initiatives that are ongoing at national, community, or schoollevel to address the issue of violence against children in countries covered by UNICEF Caribbean AreaOffice:

ST. VINCENT & THE GRENADINES

There are many programmes nationwide that speakout against violence against children. The programmesdirectly and indirectly address the question of violenceagainst children by seeking to promote the care andprotection and well being of all children. One local radiostations gives daily, information about children’s rightsand responsibilities as a Community Service. Govern-ment has recently appointed School Counsellors, part ofwhose responsibility is to deal with the issue of violence.

Every year, the Family Services Division in theMinistry of Social Development has a month of activitiesin April as part of “Child Abuse and Prevention Month”,to promote the care and well being of children. ParentEducation Programmes are offered by various groups atthe community level, as well as by organisations likeVINSAVE, Marion House, Liberty Lodge Boys’ TrainingCentre and relevant Government Ministries that seek tohelp parents to cope and to respond to their children innon-violent ways.

VINSAVE as a training institution for caregivers andpre-school teachers, offers Parent Education as partof its curriculum so that teachers can go back to theircommunities to share information and help parents andothers to use appropriate ways of dealing with theirchildren. In addition to this, VINSAVE has designed aParenting Programme to be offered to parents in itscentres. VINSAVE has also developed some radioand television programmes, which depict issues ofchildren’s rights and violence. These have provokedmuch discussion and generated ample feedback.

Information provided by St. Vincent and The GrenadinesSave The Children fund (VINSAVE)

…cont’d on next page

SURINAME

The National Network Combating violence againstchildren, which was installed on 05 August 2002, aimsto grapple with violence against children structurally.

Following the pattern of some other Caribbeancountries, the month of April has been proclaimed to beChild Abuse Prevention Month in Suriname. UniversalChildren’s Day on November 20 provides anothercontext to promote the protection of children againstviolence.

The Child Rights Bureau has implemented a UNICEFsponsored project called “Alternative Disciplining inSchools”. During this pilot project, teachers from sixschools were trained in how to discipline childrendifferently, because children were often “beaten up” byteachers. Slogans and spots about violence againstchildren were broadcast on radio and television, and asong entitled “Kibri Mi” was composed about theprotection of children against all forms of violence. TheChild Rights Bureau launched a programme on radioand television entitled: “Child in Focus” in whichchildren participated. These programmes encourageddiscussion on the situation of children’s rights, especiallyviolence against children.

Information made available by the Ministry of Social Affairsand Housing (Child Rights Bureau)

TRINIDAD & TOBAGO

A number of projects and programmes have beendeveloped by the Ministry of Education, its partners andstakeholders in education, and coordinated by the SchoolIntervention Strategies (SIS) Unit to address issues ofviolence and indiscipline in the nation’s schools.Contained in a fourteen page booklet, the list of projects

14

which are underway is extensive and includes: Positive

Reward System; Pre-Carnival Programme; Peace

Promotion Task Force; Changing the Culture of the

Classroom; Mock Trials; School and Classroom Enhance-

ment; Public Education Programme on Parenting and

Family Life Issues (School for Parents); Peace, Love and

Understanding; Establishment of a National Code of

Conduct for Schools; Promotion of Field Trips (a teacher

aide system); Alternative Education; Establishment of

Student Representative Councils in all Secondary

Schools; Homework and After-School Centres; Student

Time Out; Peer Mediation; Together we Light the Way;

Reclaiming the Classroom (alternative strategies for

transforming secondary schools); Communication Plan

to Support SIS; School Physical Security. New projectsto be started are Driver Responsibility Education;Training of Community Police, Guards, Bus and Maxi TaxiDrivers; and Substitute Teachers.

The Peace Love & Understanding in Schools

Programme (PLUS)

This initiative falls under the Trinidad & TobagoCoalition Against Domestic Violence which is an umbrellaorganisation of Non-Governmental Organisationsinvolved in the fight against domestic violence. It is aloose coalition of associations that work in the field ofanti-domestic violence, pro-peace in the family andcommunity. The purpose of the Coalition is to assist itsmembers in any way it can to carry out their functions,and to carry out public education programmes aimed atpreventing and eradicating domestic violence, therebyimproving the mental and physical health of children andpromoting domestic peace and harmony.

The Coalition is very concerned about the risinglevels of stress and the resulting violence among youngpeople in the society, and has been attempting to putsupport systems in place to deal with this problem. It isfelt that an effective way of implementing a preventionprogramme would be to intervene in the schools. Thishas proven to be successful in many countries and inthe Service Volunteered for all (SERVOL) programme inTrinidad and Tobago. Some of the areas the Programmefocuses on are the promotion of the Rights of the Childand to achieve this, works with the Ministry of Educa-tion to influence the whole system towards becomingmore humane. It also looks at the prevention of

violence and abuse through teaching and promotingmodels of healthy relationships from emotionallyintelligent teachers, by engaging teachers in bringingtheir practices in line with humanistic, child centre theory.

The Office of the Prime Minister Social Services

Delivery (OPM-SSD), National Family Services Division

has been addressing the issue of violence against

children in its various programmes. In particular, it

conducts a bi-weekly radio programme called “It’s

Family Time, Let’s Talk” where issues pertaining to

children are highlighted and discussed. Officers in their

respective counties continue to organise and implement

programmes for their clientele on Child Abuse,

Parenting, Domestic Violence, Anger Management and

Trauma Counselling. It is envisaged that with the

proclamation of the various pieces of legislation, the

implementation of the Pilot Family Court Project and

the establishment of a Children’s Authority, all these

issues will be further addressed.

In 2002, a Drop-in Centre Pilot Project targetting

children was established. The Pilot Project aims to

provide support services in counselling for victims of

domestic violence, rape, sexual abuse and incest. It also

promotes an integrated approach on the protection and

rehabilitation of persons vulnerable to domestic violence

and encourages the establishment of support groups

at the community level, conflict resolution and violence

prevention. Workshops has also been conducted for

centre clients on The Psychological Effects of Domestic

Violence on Children so as to sensitize parents and

teachers to the additional services provided by the

Centre and information continues to be disseminated

on domestic violence and related issues.

The Ministry of Social Development and Gender

Affairs chairs the Inter-Ministerial Committee for the

National Plan of Action (NPA) for Children. Currently,

the Ministry is revising the NPA in the context of the

outcome document of the UN Special Session for

Children entitled “A World Fit for Children”. A major

area of study for the Ministry is the Protection Against

Violence, Abuse and Exploitation of Children. The

Ministry is currently preparing a document which would

identify clear goals and objectives in this area, and is

also monitoring the implementation of the articles in

the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child which

IN FOCUS… …continued from page 13

15

IN FOCUS…

“Stop Daddy”“yuh hurtin’ Mummy”Children who witness physical violence eitherauditory or visually, within their homes betweentheir mothers and the adult male figure: step-father, father or boyfriend demonstrate a numberof reactions and life long effects, Kolbo et al (1996), Miller et al (1999). Some identify with the victimbecoming withdrawn, fearful and depressed.Others demonstrate a phenomenon calledidentification with the aggressor, the child fearsbeing harmed that he or she joins with the abuserin the aggressive behaviour. They may criticize themother for not standing up to the abuse or the childmay abuse the victim or younger siblings.

They are others, who intervene during a dispute tostop the abuse with words: “Stop Daddy” “yuhhurtin’ Mummy”. At times they may be injured,killed or they may actually stop the violence. Theythreatened the abuser with words, “if yuh hitmummy again I would kill yuh” or they may sleepat the victims side throughout the night or they tryto stay awake all night to protect the victim.

The seed of aggression has been planted inchildren brought up in violent homes. These

speak of protection of children against abuse, neglect

and violence.

Over the last three years, Families in Action, a

non-profit non-governmental organisation, has

conducted a Conflict Parenting Programme for various

groups with much success. The Programme aims to

equip parents and guardians with the necessary skills

so that they can: establish their own style of parenting;

understand “self” in relation to parenting; understand

their children’s behaviours; find alternative methods of

discipline; communicate better with children; explore

their own spirituality; take some of the stress out of

parenting; reflect on how they are raising their

children and caring for themselves; experiment with

new skills which can be applied within the family. ■

Information provided by the Ministry of Education andMinistry of Social Development and Gender Affairs

BEHIND THE CURTAINDomestic Violence and Children

children experienced low self-esteem, develop-mental delays, depression, conduct disorders, acuteanxiety, and violence against others.

Who investigates?Four professional fields are intimately involved inthe investigation and treatment of child abuse:medical, psychiatric, legal, social services and lawenforcement. These human services practitionersusually focus on the distressed individual ratherthan the group of which the troubled person is amember.

What needs to be done?To reduce the incidence of domestic violence, thefeelings of children who witness domestic violencebehind the curtain, should be heard so that the seedof aggression does not grow into a tree. They shouldbe told it’s not their fault, their fears are normal andthere is help for the family. ■

By Sharon Rose-Gittens,Chairperson of the National Forum

Against Domestic Violence, Barbados

16

GETTING THE MESSAGE OUT

One of the issues being addressed by the OECS Family Law and Domestic Violence Legal and Judicial ReformProject is the issue of Child Abuse. Highlighted here are three posters developed to support this aspect of theproject:

To order please contact the UNICEF Caribbean Area or The Ministry of Social Service or itsequivalent in your country.

17

NEWS FROM THE AREA

BARBADOS

Children Excited About the new

Information Centre

With the start of the new school term lastSeptember, more Barbadian primary school children hada chance to get a better understanding about children’srights. This was as a result of the recently openedInformation Centre at the UNICEF Office in Barbados.

The Information Centre, which was formerly only alibrary was transformed in April 2003 and now comprisestwo sections. A research area with books and otherprinted materials that can be used by students conduct-ing research on issues pertaining to children in theEastern Caribbean and Suriname and a child-friendlycommunication section. This communication area has aseating capacity for approximately 20 children andchildren on the tour view a display of children’s artwork,which depicts their interpretation of the articles of theConvention. They also view a short child-friendly videoproduced by the Office specifically for children ages 5 -11, aimed at dispelling many of the myths aboutchildren’s rights.

To date, over two hundred primary school studentshave visited the Information Centre, including a groupof students from Montserrat, and all have providedpositive feedback about the tour. Many indicated that theyhad a “better understanding of their rights under theConvention” and were excited to tell others about thetour.

In addition to students, the Minister of SocialTransformation in Barbados, the Honourable HamiltonLashley, and the Director General of the Barbados RedCross, Mr. Edmond Bradshaw, have also toured theCentre.

Launch of Monitoring Committee for Children’s Rights

A new National Committee for Monitoring the Rightsof the Child was launched on 03 September 2003. In herremarks, Acting Permanent Secretary in the Ministry ofSocial Transformation, Antoinette Williams, stated thatthe children of Barbados have a voice and “we willlisten to them so that their opinions can be taken intoaccount. We have allowed their voices to be heard onthis Committee, where they are represented by studentsfrom the Alexandra Secondary School, the BarbadosCommunity College, and the University of the WestIndies”. Representation is also drawn from theOptimist Club, the Barbados Youth DevelopmentCouncil and the University of the West Indies. TheCommittee is mandated to monitor the implementationon the Rights of the Child; monitor the progress ofchildren in relation to the Convention; and review andupdate the National Plan of Action for children making itrelevant to the 21st Century.

Universal Children’s Day Celebrations

Universal Children’s Day was marked by a concert atthe Frank Collymore Hall which was attended by studentsfrom primary and secondary schools across the island.Using as its theme:- “Through the Voice of a Child”,children used song and dance, poetry and drama to speakof the societal ills facing them such as HIV/AIDS,physical and sexual abuse, alcohol and drug abuse andteenage pregnancy.

Drawing on the Convention on the Rights of the Child,the programme was divided into four sections: Playingour Part: Our Right to Participate; Reaching OurPotential: Our Right to Develop who we are; Living Well:Our Right to Survival; and Being Free From Harm: OurRight to Protection. During breaks in performances, childnarrators drew attention to the various rights every childshould enjoy as they recited selected articles from theConvention.

The three-hour concert which featured some of theNational Independence Festival of Creative Arts (NIFCA)award-winning presentations, was organised by theChild Care Board and the Ministry of Social Transforma-tion in collaboration with the Ministry of Education, YouthAffairs and Sports and UNICEF.

Students fromthe Wesley HallInfants Schools

in Barbadostouring the

UNICEF/CAOInformation

Centre

18

The entertainment concert, aimed at helping childrento de-stress during the post-volcanic eruption period, wasone of several priorities identified by the Government ofMontserrat following the volcano’s eruption on 12 July2003. Another priority identified by the Government wasan out-of island visit for some of the island’s children.With the aid of the UNICEF Caribbean Area Office, theBarbados Red Cross, and a number of co-sponsors, Bar-bados played host to a group of children from Montserratfrom 19 - 28 August.

Universal Children’s Day Celebrated

Montserratians joined the global community toensure the survival, protection and growth of children,as they observed International Children’s Day on 20November.

Children from government and private schools andcentres for special education participated in a numberof special functions to embrace the special day. The day,which was an educational and fun day to make childrenfeel special and loved, climaxed with a live radio paneldiscussion and call-in programme to reinforce children’srights and to educate the public and children about theimportance of these rights. The initiative was led by theCommunity Services Department.

Leading up to 20 November, selected Articles fromthe UN Convention on the Rights of the Child were readon the radio by school children. On the day itself,secondary school students read the news on RadioMontserrat. Each school was allocated a 10 – 15 minuteradio spot for an activity of their choice e.g. a poem, asong etc. Rights awareness assemblies were conductedat all schools, pamphlets were distributed, and aone-day student presentation workshop on the Rightsof the Child was conducted.

TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO

Parenting Conference

Trinidad and Tobago held its first ever ParentingConference in October 2003. This workshop, “ParentingOur Future”, was hosted by the non-governmental

NEWS FROM THE AREA …continued from page 17

COMMONWEALTH OF DOMINICA

Pre-sessional Working Group

Committee

The Pre-sessional Working Group Committee on theRights of the Child will take place in Dominica from 2 - 6February 2004. This working group is a private,confidential, informal session during which theCommittee meets with non-governmental organisationsand UN agencies in order to prepare for its formaldialogue with the State party, due to take place in May2004. In order to prepare for the Pre-sessional, theCommittee Secretariat will prepare a country analysis,collecting all relevant information on the situation ofchildren and their rights. UNICEF information, particu-larly the situation analysis, is of great value in thisprocess, as well as any reports, studies, evaluations, ordocumentation that would help the Committee to get afull and accurate picture of how children’s rights arebeing protected. The Christian Children’s Fund (CCF)based in Dominica is expected to present an NGOreport.

MONTSERRAT

Volcano Shake-Up

On Tuesday 26 August 2003, a group of Caribbeanartistes provided entertainment for the children ofMontserrat during a special variety concert, entitled”Volcano Shake-up”. The concert was also attended byHon. Idabelle Mead, Minister of Education Health &Community Services and Mr. Eugene Skerritt, PermanentSecretary in the same Ministry.

The artistes who performed included: Master EzekielYork from Trinidad & Tobago; Egbert the Magician”,storyteller Paula Taylor, the Pinelands Creative Workshop,“Thandekka” (reigning 2003 Junior Calypso Monarch inthe 8 -12 age group) from Barbados; and calypsonians“De Bear”, “De Cub” and Little Kimmy (reigning 2002Junior Calypso Monarch) from Antigua & Barbuda. Therewere also performances by a Montserratian dancetroupe.

MONTSERRAT

19

organisation, Creative Parenting for the Future (CPNE)and funded by the J B Fernandez Memorial Trust.

CPNE grew out of a growing concern about thebreakdown in family life and its effects not only onchildren, but on the society as a whole. They recognizethat although many groups are pursuing this commongoal of working in the area of parenting and family lifethere is as yet no consensus about methodology. Thisconference created an opportunity for sharing insightsand experiences and developing collaborative strategiesfor intervention while achieving its objectives of raisingconsciousness and discussion about what constituteseffective parenting in today’s society while exploring thevarious methodologies.

The conference involved a cross section of stake-holders, including parents, parenting educators,theorists, policy makers and young people. Participantswere all fully involved in panel discussions, workshopssessions and plenary presentations. The simultaneousworkshops addressed topics such as: Alternatives toCorporal Punishment, Anger Transmutation and theSpiritual Aspect of Parenting.

The intended outcome of the conference was todevelop an Action Plan for equipping Trinidad andTobago with appropriate tools for parenting educationand a document which would inform government policyon Family Life issues.

National Assessment of Vulnerable Children

The Health Economics Unit of the University of theWest Indies, St. Augustine Campus, will commence aSituation Analysis of Children Orphaned and Vulnerableto and by HIV/AIDS in Trinidad and Tobago, in January2004. Trinidad & Tobago features among the list ofcountries with a high prevalence rate for HIV/AIDS in theCaribbean. According to the Unit, based onseroprevalence studies conducted at Antenatal clinicsand assessments of the National Surveillance Systems,it is estimated that there are roughly 17,000 HIV positiveindividuals nationally. When adjusted for underreportingand other related shortcomings that may allow individualto slip through the surveillance net, this is estimated (insome quarters), to be as high as 39,000 men, womenand children.

The study aims to identify the extent and the waysthat children, families and communities are affected bythe HIV/AIDS epidemic; to quantify, as far as possible,the impact of HIV/AIDS on children and families andto project how the nature and magnitude of theseproblems can be expected to change over time; toassess the response of the government bodies,international organizations, NGOs, and other civilsociety groups in responding to problems facingchildren and families affected by HIV/AIDS over the lasttwo decades, highlighting the problems encountered bythese groups/organisations and their plannedprogrammes in the future; and to identify prioritiesamong the problems identified including geographicareas for priority attention, potentially effective policies,programmes and other actions, identification of the mostpromising opportunities and partners for advancingthese programmes and policies, and suitable mecha-nisms for coordinating and monitoring theseprogrammes.

Second Periodic Report on CRC Implementation

With the submission of the second period report onCRC Implementation Trinidad & Tobago’s reporting isnow completely up-to-date on all human rightsconventions. The launch, which was hosted by theHuman Rights Unit of the Office of the Attorney General,embraced the Ministers of Education and SocialDevelopment and the Minister responsible for SocialServices Delivery.

The following activities, which fall within theGovernment/UNICEF Programme of Cooperation for2003-2007were highlighted by respective Ministers aspriorities: revision of the National Plan of Action forChildren, improved birth registration, ECD StandardsSchool Health Programme, Programme for AdolescentMothers, establishment of Children’s Authority, registerfor Children in Need, Child Labour, and Child RightsPromotion.

NEWS FROM THE AREA

…cont’d on next page

20

NEWS FROM THE AREA …continued from page 19

During his recent visit to the UNICEF Caribbean AreaOffice – the new UNICEF regional Director for the LatinAmerica and the Caribbean (TACRO) took the oppor-tunity to honour the Barbados –based parenting NGO –PAREDOS- and the Nation newspaper for their outstand-ing work on the Parenting page called: “Parent-Wise.”The page which was initially funded by the UNICEFCaribbean Office, provides parenting tips and otherhelpful advice on child development on a weekly basisto readers and has received extremely positive feedbackfrom the public. Upon the completion of the funding fromUNICEF CAO at the beginning of 2003, the Nation andPAREDOS continued to produce this weekly page as acommunity service to their readers.

Parenting Symposium

Under the banner “Towards a Regional ParentingFramework: Innovations in Parenting Education andSupport”, a regional parenting symposium was heldfrom 15 - 17 October in St. Maarten. Some of the issueshighlighted during this meeting were as follows: fatherswere increasingly seeking active roles in the rearing ofchildren but were constrained by the actions of mothers

and the prevailing laws; good parenting reduced riskbehaviour in adolescents and promoted their resilience;and programming for males should take into accounttheir perspectives and special concerns.

Important strategies and mechanisms for theeffective delivery and coordination of parentingeducation and support programmes were discussed.They included: the approach by the Coalition for BetterParenting Lifecycle Parenting Education and SupportModel (Jamaica); and the proposed revision of theParenting Facilitators Guide – Pathways to Parenting. Thesymposium was organised and hosted by the CaribbeanSupport Initiative (CSI) and the Bernard van LeerFoundation (BvLF) in collaboration with UNICEF.

Training Course in Breast-milk Substitutes

Approximately 25 - 30 legal and health officers fromacross the Caribbean benefited from a one-weektraining course on the International Code of Marketingof Breast-milk substitutes. The aim of this workshop,which was held from 3 - 7 November at the Kapok Hotel,was to assist regional governments in implementingthe International Code of Marketing for breast milksubstitutes.

It has been noted that in the Caribbean, whilst therehas been significant progress in the Health sector in theimplementation of policies to limit marketing of breast-milk substitutes, and subsequently to promotebreastfeeding, there has been limited, if any, movementon the legislative front. Therefore, in order to strengthenthe effectiveness of the promotion of breastfeeding, themarketing of breast-milk substitutes has to be regulatedin accordance with the International Code, which wasadopted in 1981 by the World Assembly.

The workshop was conducted by Ms. Annelies Allain,Director of IBFAN; Ms. Yeong Joo Kean, Legal Advisorfrom IBFAN; Mr. David Clarke, Legal Advisor from UNICEFHeadquarters; and Dr. Chessa Lutter from PAHO. It wasalso open to non-governmental organisations, whichhave been working towards the promotion and publiceducation of breast-feeding.

The Informative Breastfeeding Service (TIBS) ofTrinidad and Tobago was the major local partner inorganising this training course which was sponsored byUNICEF and PAHO, in collaboration with InternationalBaby Food Action Network (IBFAN). ■

Photo by UNICEF

UNICEF TACRO Regional Director presents plaque toMarva Springer, Director of PAREDOS.

(Inset) Marashetty Seenappa – UNICEF CAO ProgrammeCoordinator

Regional Director Honurs PAREDOS During His VIsit

REGIONAL