More than fifty “Stamp it out” consultations were held across the country since early November and as it nears the wrap-up date, persons are being urged to still make contributions.

Minister of Human Services and Social Security, Priya Manickchand has expressed satisfaction with the progress of the consultations on sexual violence so far, and plans to host a live television programme early next year before the paper is laid before the National Assembly.

She further stated that stamping out violence in the society will be a continuing effort of her ministry, adding that this is also part of government’s commitment.

Stamp it out which contains proposals that deal with toughening up of laws against sexual offences and improving protection against sexual violence is expected to be presented in Parliament in the first quarter of 2008.

Consultations which began on November 2 end on December 31 and persons are being encouraged to make contributions by telephone, letters or emails to the ministry.

A massive education campaign will be launched after the new sexual violence bill would have been passed.

Source: https://www.stabroeknews.com/2007/features/12/25/over-50-stamp-it-out-meetings-held/

We join with the rest of the international community in offering our heartfelt sympathies to the people and Government of Algeria and, indeed, to all humankind. We have seen yet another attack on humanity.

      We also recognize the statement made by the Honourable Attorney General and Minister of Legal Affairs of the Bahamas on behalf of the Caribbean Community.

      The delegation of the Republic of Guyana, which includes three children, is delighted to participate in this high-level meeting to review the progress of our collective efforts to create a world fit for children. On behalf of the Government and people of Guyana, I extend special greetings to all child representatives and commend them for their invaluable contribution to this year’s review process.

      The care, protection and development of all our children, in whom lies the future of humanity, are objectives that demand pride of place on our national and global agendas. Guyana stands committed to those objectives. We welcome the opportunity to share our experiences in implementation and to exchange ideas on the ongoing process of transforming our world into one fit for children.

      Since the 2002 special session on children, the Government of Guyana has taken several initiatives to enhance the well-being of our country’s children and to ensure that their rights are protected. We have succeeded in reducing child mortality, while increasing the immunization of children against vaccine-preventable diseases; immunization currently stands at 92 per cent. Success has been achieved in preventing mother-to-child transmission of HIV/AIDS, even as efforts have been enhanced in the provision and distribution, free of charge, of locally produced anti-retroviral drugs to those infected with HIV/AIDS. There are ongoing efforts to provide quality education to children in Guyana and, while we have achieved universal primary education, concentration is now focused on the attainment of universal secondary education and ensuring the completion of that grade of education by boys and girls alike.

      The principle of the best interests of the child guides Guyana’s jurisprudence as it relates to legislation on children. To date, we have enshrined in our Constitution the Convention on the Rights of the Child, which provides the framework for promoting healthy lives, combating HIV/AIDS, providing quality education for all and protecting children against abuse, exploitation and violence.

      It is disheartening to note the level of violence in many societies globally. For our part, we have embarked on a campaign to stamp out violence in our society, particularly violence against women and children. That matter is currently the subject of extensive national consultations on the basis of proposals by the Government to reform the law, strengthen protection and improve support and services to victims, while upholding the right of the defendant to a fair trial. Earlier this year, a Child Protection Service was established. The Government of Guyana continues to actively collaborate with UNICEF under the country programme of cooperation 2006-2010 to tackle child protection and welfare issues.

      Implementing a world fit for children has not been without challenges and setbacks, some of which are greater than those occasioned by financial and infrastructural constraints. Children across the world are at risk of further suffering on account of the global increase in food and fuel prices and in the cost of living. With internal and domestic conflicts and wars among countries, the innocence and rights of childhood are stolen. More needs to be done to address the scourge of poverty. More needs to be done to protect children from exposure to conflict situations, as well as to provide for their rehabilitation and reintegration into post-conflict societies.

      Preserving the natural environment for posterity is an important dimension of creating a world fit for children. As reports by the Nobel Prize-winning Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change make clear, human actions are impacting the kind of world our children will inherit. Renowned economist Nicholas Stern has highlighted that those who will suffer most are the developing countries, which have contributed the least to greenhouse gas emissions.

      Vulnerability can be considered in terms of geographic location and economy, as well as age. In the developed and developing countries alike, it is the children who are most vulnerable. Where climate change leads to disasters, destruction and death, children suffer the most. Many become orphans; many become disabled; many become displaced. Their health is affected, their education is affected, and their entire life is turned upside down.

      Global warming and consequent climate change must be addressed. Guyana has taken a leadership role in that effort. Our pristine rainforest does much service to the world in terms of carbon sequestration. The post-Kyoto Protocol framework should make provisions for standing rainforests with mechanisms for rewarding countries for conserving those rainforests.

      From this rostrum, we appeal to world leaders, and indeed all adults, to do everything they can to avoid the road to self-destruction and move our planet onto a path of recovery through massive reductions in greenhouse gas emissions. It will make little sense if we manage to eradicate violence against children on one day and they drown in a mighty flood or starve in a drought or famine on the next. We therefore stress the need for a coherent and comprehensive approach to issues concerning children.

      Guyana looks forward to sharing further insights on its national experiences in the round table sessions in order to contribute to an elaboration of best practices with a view to establishing and sustaining a world fit for children.

Source: https://www.un.int/guyana/fr/statements_speeches/statement-h-e-honourable-priya-manickchand-minister-human-services-and-social

Source: https://www.stabroeknews.com/2007/opinion/letters/11/25/the-alliance-fully-supports-minister-manickchands-stamp-it-out-campaign/

The ongoing Ministry of Human Services’ consultations on sexual violence should be seen as the start of a national conversation, which should continue even after the Act is passed, Minister Priya Manickchand said yesterday.

The Government Informa-tion Agency (GINA), in a press release, stated that the ministry’s consultation at the Guyana International Confer-ence Centre, Liliendaal yesterday attracted the largest gathering of over 250 persons from about 40 organizations. The participants made recommendations on the sexual violence paper ‘Stamp it out’ during the session.

Presentations were made by Manickchand, Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) Shalimar Ali-Hack and Prime Minister Samuel Hinds.

The consultation coincided with observances to mark International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women, which will be observed tomorrow. The release said Manickchand, in her presentation, noted,

“Government alone cannot do enough to end the violence, every citizen should join in the battle”.

According to the release the minister said there is a need for a change in attitude by the service providers for the legislation to have the desired results.

The need for society to change its attitude towards victims of sexual violence was one aspect noted during the meetings, the minister said, since some persons still seem to share the view that victims can cause these acts to be committed on them.

Meanwhile, PM Hinds noting that there seems to be an increase in acts of violence especially against women and girls, especially very young girls, called for a change in society.

Hinds added that the government is working to put women and men on equal footing as it tries to promote harmony in relationships. He commended the minister and her staff for the work they have done so far.

Ali-Hack in her remarks stated that women today are the victims of every conceivable type of violence and that “the increase in the use of narcotics is causing people to give into their vices; these often result in violence against women”. She said these acts include rape, sodomy and murder.

The DPP stated that the current legislation, which has been in place for over 100 years, needs to be amended to deal with these criminal acts.

With reference to the culture of not reporting these crimes, Ali-Hack was quoted as saying, “We have a new Domestic Violence Act but it is not being sufficiently used by the victims. They need to use the orders, and the Legal Aid Clinic can assist with this.”

While noting that 50 percent of the cases listed at each High Court sitting are for sexual violence, the DPP acknowledged the slow court system as a causative factor for persons not continuing with cases.

She applauded the minister’s move to amend the committal procedure which will reduce the trial time for these cases.

The DPP shared the view that amending the law is not enough; the trial procedure needs to be friendlier to the victim, GINA stated.

The release said that after the presentations, participants sub divided into working groups to discuss the proposed changes and to submit a report on their recommendations.

Source: 

This week, the Ministry of Human Services and Social Security has been able to present the kind of ‘feel good’ news that is so scarce today. Not only has the ministry quietly begun its ‘Mission Child Protection’ campaign, but also in just three days of starting it, officers had managed to rescue 37 children from the streets. Of course, rescuing them is just the beginning of the uphill task ahead, which ultimately, one hopes, would see them never returning to the streets. However, having read the plan as outlined by Minister Priya Manickchand and her officers in a report in this newspaper on Tuesday, one gets the good feeling that they have considered this and there is a plan B.

‘Mission Child Protection’, much like the operation that had seen the same ministry under Ms Manickchand’s predecessor undertake to get aged street people into the Night Shelter, involves officers trawling the areas where street children are known to be. The officers were able to pick up 37 children ranging in ages from four years old to 15 years old, with no resistance from any of them, and take them to a home, which had previously been set up specifically for this purpose. This speaks volumes. The first thing that is obvious is that these children wanted to be rescued, and this shatters the common perception about street children. It also bodes well for the success of the programme, notwithstanding the fact that once they are taken off the streets, parents and guardians must also take some responsibility for keeping their children off the streets. The second observation is the stark reality of just how vulnerable these children really are.

This brings to mind something else the minister raised at her press conference. She reported that two parents had gone on television and protested that their children were being removed from the streets because of Cricket World Cup (CWC). Could it get any worse? Can these parents say why their children were on the streets in the first place, since they obviously have such caring parents? Shame on them. Parents who knowingly expose their children to the evils of living and begging and roaming the streets daily should be arrested.

Ms Manickchand then went on to say that some of her officers had warned that ‘Mission Child Protection’ might be misconstrued as an effort to get the children off the streets before the expected CWC visitors began to arrive and had suggested putting it on hold. The minister quite rightfully overruled this. The important thing about protecting children is not about waiting for the right time to start. In fact, the right time is as soon as they are born and failing that as soon as possible after, because the older children are, the more difficult it is to reach them. The crucial thing about ‘Mission Child Protection’ is not when it started but that it continues.

And it must continue. Poverty, lack of pride, poor values and perhaps avarice, among other things, force children out onto the streets and keep them there. Since there is no indication that any of these are going away anytime soon, ‘Mission Child Protection’ must become ‘Mission Possible’ and for as long as it takes.

The street children phenomenon is a fairly new one. Older folks will remember the days when there was no such thing as street children. People were poor, yes, but their pride prevented them from sending their children out to beg, or taking them out with them with the aim of evoking pity in a potential donor. Or perhaps, it was because in those days the wealthy were more unobtrusive; there was no blatant flaunting of money as is seen today among the nouveau riche. Whichever it is, this new initiative is one that Guyana has desperately needed for some time now. The ministry has wisely increased its staff as it will need to continue to monitor the children who have been returned to their parents and it has said that the parents will receive counselling and financial assistance where necessary. ‘Mission Child Protection’ is by no means an easy road, there are countless bends and twists that will no doubt begin to reveal themselves as the journey continues and those manning the programme must be well prepared for this. However, it will also bring rewards, the highest of which will be that it changes children’s lives.

SOURCE: https://www.stabroeknews.com/2007/news/stories/03/17/mission-possible/