Fewer child abuse cases, says CCB
but figures continue to concern LASHLEY
While child abuse figures for the 2010-2011 period may be down when compared to the year before, Minister of Family Stephen Lashley said the numbers were still cause for concern.
It was a situation, he contended, that concerned not only his ministry, but the Child Care Board’s officials as well since there were 737 reported incidents of child abuse between April 1, 2010 and February 28, 2011, involving 1,061 children.
“Of this number 199 were referred for physical abuse, 151 for sexual abuse, 612 for neglect, 97 for emotional abuse and two children were abandoned.”
In relation to the cases of emotional abuse, he said the number only referred to reported cases, adding that all forms of abuse should be denounced.
When compared to the year before, director Joan Crawford noted that there was a slight decrease in the numbers.
“Last year, which was 2009 to 2010 we had a total of 1,251 reported cases. So we had a slight decline because our total for this year is 1,186. So there is a slight decline in the number of cases that are reported to us,” she stated.
The minister added: “The amount of child abuse cases is what is of concern, whether or not there is a comparative decline, the large amount is of grave concern to us at the … board because there really shouldn’t be any.”
Stating that there also needed to be some examination of the underlying reasons for child abuse, Lashley said: “We recognise of course at the Child Care Board that it must go beyond that; that we have to find creative ways of tackling the occurrence of child abuse.
“This is a problem that has to be confronted in a very multifaceted way. We do have the Division of Family within the ministry and of course we have mounted consistent programmes in relation to parenting,” said Lashley.
But, he noted, the issue needed more and last year they had convened a workshop on parenting along with a national protocol on child abuse.
One of the targets this year was to conclude the protocol to have an arrangement where there was a systemised method of reporting.
“This protocol I expect will be worked on and the … board has reported that it is one of the key priorities … and I would like to signal to Barbadians that this issue is one that must be addressed,” the minister noted. (LB) (Barbados Today)