“There can be no keener revelation of a society’s soul than the way in which it treats its children” – Nelson Mandela.
On Tuesday, November 20, the world will commemorate Universal Children’s Day. It also marks the 22nd anniversary of the adoption of United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child. This day is celebrated each year “to put public initiatives and campaigns in place to raise awareness of children’s rights worldwide, awareness of their situation in life, problems, wishes, needs and longings as well as to enable exchanges and meetings between them” (UNRIC).
It’s a day to celebrate God’s great gift to us – our children; to reflect on how we are treating them and to commit ourselves to improve the quality of their lives. Six of the eight Millennium Development Goals “relate directly to children and meeting the last two will also make critical improvements in their lives” (UNICEF).
We have a duty to care for our children; to have policies and practices/create conditions in which they can develop their potential. You may have read Anna Ramdass’ report in the Express on November 1 entitled: “T&T’s children under attack”. In it, my friend, Margaret Sampson-Browne, head of the Police Victim and Witness Support Unit is reported to have said, “The children of this nation are under attack by sexual predators who need to be jailed. It is not sufficient for parents to abdicate responsibility when your child is psychologically dying at the hands of a father, brother, aunt or cousin”.
She urged victims to call the support unit at 628-4277 extension 12635 and give any information with respect to abuse. She and her team of 19 officers at the unit take action and also support those abused through their crisis. She also highlighted the high incidence of incest. Many cases of various forms of child abuse are not reported.
And then there is poverty and social exclusion which are among the social ills that stand as obstacles to children’s development. While it is accepted that there are a number of programmes aimed at poverty reduction in T&T, we have a long way to go to ensure that we are an inclusive society.
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Children should be nurtured in homes that are commensurate with their dignity as persons made in the image and likeness of God. As the USBishops remind us: “The family is the central social institution that must be supported and strengthened, not undermined.” We still do not have adequate infrastructure in place to support families.
There have been a number of cases over the past few years that have highlighted the fact that we must do more to make T&T a child-friendly place. While we celebrate today the wonderful gift of our children whom God has given to us in T&T, we mourn those who have suffered at the hands of others in our communities and whose brief lives on this earth have been snuffed out e.g. Akiel Chambers, Sean Luke, Amy Emily Anamanthodo, Hope Arismandez, Daniel Guerra, Aaliyah Johnson, Roshan Ramrattan. We pray for children who are missing.
As Catholics, we are a people of hope and love. Let us put our love in action and look out for each other, show concern for each other, reach out to those in our communities who are experiencing difficulties and seek support for them. We must build a culture of life, promote the common good, and stand in solidarity with those in need.
Too often we read after a child is killed that neighbours used to hear the child crying from being beaten. There are hotlines that one can use to report incidents of neglect, abuse, domestic violence (see above and use 800 SAVE). We cannot remain silent in the face of injustice.
Let’s come out of our comfort zones and advocate for measures to be put in place to ensure the safety and well-being of our children. Support groups such as the Family Life Commission in running parenting classes to assist parents in meeting their responsibilities. Let’s be mentors, role models and model appropriate behaviour as we seek to build community.
The breakdown of family life; the erosion of the extended family and of morals and values; the prevalence of individualism, greed and selfishness seems to have led us to this juncture in our history where we fail to champion the cause of the vulnerable in our society effectively. Each of us can make a difference. It’s time to act. Our children deserve better.
