Caribbean nations pledge action

Deliberations went late into the evening last week Wednesday as Caribbean ministers, health, legal and other professionals convened for a second day to finalise a document that would be used as the agenda beacon in comprehensively tackling sexual violence against our children in the region.

Hours after the scheduled 4:00 p.m. end to the meeting, “The Bridgetown Declaration and Agenda for Action to prevent and Respond to Sexual Abuse Against Girls and Boys” was finally and gratifyingly ratified, with positive words of fervent implementation from the delegates.

Delivering the final remarks at the closing ceremony of that sub-regional conference on ending sexual violence against children at the Barbados Hilton Hotel, were Paul Brummell, High Commissioner of the United Kingdom; Khin-Sandi Lwin, UNICEF Office for the Eastern Caribbean Area representative; and Stephen Lashley, Barbados’ Minister of Family, Culture, Youth and Sports.

Brummell opined that the Break the Silence campaign, which was started in Trinidad in 2010 and introduced to the region last week Tuesday evening, is “about bringing noise to the silent emergency” of sexual abuse against children.

It is designed to empower victims, their families and the wider society to speak out, denounce and break the stigma associated with this type of violence. It purports to also advocate by lobbying policymakers, health workers and law enforcers for apt protection and treatment services.

He also said that the agenda for action is “impressive” and expressed his keenness for participants to commit to a key set of milestones to ensure the goals set out are in place by 2015 – the United Nations deadline for an end to violence against women and children.

Khin-Sandi Lwin admitted that action is the main challenge after this agreement, noting that “plans tend to get lost” amongst the island-wide agendas of the individual states.

After highlighting that “damaged children” is related to the reality of “damaged adults”, she says UNICEF is cognisant of the fact that money is shrinking for the programmes needed to continue to address this troubling issue.

“How do we create the fiscal space for children in national budgets? We have many social safety net schemes in the Caribbean ...but unless the political choices are made, we are not going to be able to create that fiscal space for children.”

“The political leaders among us are who we really look to really take this agenda forward. Transformation is what is called for. How do we package this and put children on a platform of the more-attention issues?” she asked.

Speaking last, Minister Lashley acknowledged that the challenge has been firmly raised and indicated his hope that Caribbean nations “take this problem extremely seriously”.

“I know this is not an easy task, but we must remind ourselves of the consequences of not doing anything,” he stated.

Moreover, he said that in the new year, another meeting must be held to review our collective progress. (EL)