Pickney Project Plan
Project title: Pickney
Where is the project taking place? The main project office will be at Help & Shelter, Region 4 Georgetown; and outreach work will be undertaken in Sophia (urban), Region 9 (hinterland); and Good Hope (a rural community on the East Coast Demerara)
Target Groups: Children who are survivors of abuse, caregivers/parents in the community settings, teachers, health professionals (hospitals & nursing schools), the police, Faith Based Organisations, Community based Organisations and the relevant Government and non-government agencies
Timeframe: April 2008 to March 2011
Key Interventions:Court support services to children and their families, psychosocial support to children, developing community response groups, parenting education training, training of health care professional and teachers, public awareness campaigns and advocating for policy changes for the safety and protection of children.
Total cost of project (year by year): GYD 61.500.000, 00. (£175,714)
Who is the main point of contact in country? Vidyaratha Kissoon (Help & Shelter) & Omattie Seaforth – Country Director (EveryChild Guyana)
Who is the main point of contact in the UK?
Situational Analysis/Problem StatementProblem Analysis
Child protection in Guyana is based on an archaic legal and cultural system which viewed children as bodies without rights and as individuals whose protection by the State was determined by the ability of the parents and family to authorise such protection. Help & Shelter has worked with over 800 children who have survived abuse over the last 11 years, and this number is mostly for the sexual abuse of children. Guyana's laws and regulations do not prohibit the physical punishment of children at school and in the home. There is no mandatory reporting required from health care workers, education providers or other child care providers; and referral mechanisms are only implemented on an adhoc basis. While sexual violence against children is often noted, there is often a reluctance to be involved in cases of abuse which do not involve sexual violence since there are few alternatives which the State provides for child care. Many health workers would respond to cases of sexual violence, but are not trained to respond to or make interventions to identify other forms of abuse. Additionally, there is a lack of awareness on Child Protection among health professional and teachers as well as the general public. Community advocates are also not always sure of the role they can play in ensuring that children are protected from violence and abuse.
Guyana is signatory to the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, and the Government has undertaken several related projects to improve the education and social services available to children. However, the draft Children's Bill and the proposed new Education Act do not deal with the issue of beating children as a form of punishment at school. Further, there is a lack of training in the education curriculum to sensitise teachers on child protection and reporting abuse.
There are inconsistencies in understanding the Rights of Children and how these are implemented in our legislation. The draft Children's Bill has been in preparation for the past decade, and there is no timeframe as to when it will become legislation. This bill only covers issues relating to adoption, and maintenance of the children and does not address the issue of abuse. The 1953 Education regulations still provide for the beating of children in schools, and despite numerous reports, often in the media, of serious injury caused to children, there is great opposition to reviewing the legislation and to provide the necessary resources to remove corporal punishment from the education system. Other legislation such as the Domestic Violence Act (DVA) provides scope for protection of children from abuse within familial settings but again require much more awareness with all stakeholders, police, teachers, health care workers, child care counsellors, community workers and probation officers.
Within Guyana, children have little or no recourse if their human rights are violated. With the advent of the Child Protection Unit and the Minimum Standards implemented by the Ministry of Human Services and Social Security (MHSSS) to prevent violence and protect children, there needs to be greater collaboration among agencies to support the MHSSS in filling the gaps in providing protection and representation for abused children dealing with the court system. Access to court support services for child victims is limited as very few agencies treat and respond to violence and abuse as a health issue. These children are often left to cope with the abuse on their own without emotional support/counselling coupled with the trauma of the court experience.
There is a lack of data collection and analysis of child abuse and its impact on children. Many children abused are at greater risks of falling into other vulnerable groupings as caregivers are not always able to care for children in a way that maintains their best interests. Further, the network among families, communities, schools, health care agencies and the police that serve to protect children are not always well developed and coordinated to safe guard against abuse. Inadequate care and support for children who are abused usually results in children becoming juvenile offenders, institutionalised, school drop-outs, street-living or street-working children known to be at an increased risk of further violence or abuse[1].
The response of the police to report on child abuse is limited by the legal system. The police have a varying response to reports of physical abuse of children since beating children is an acceptable form of discipline. Responding to reports of sexual abuse is more prevalent. However, more work needs to be done to improve the taking of statements, and the collection of evidence in all cases of abuse to improve conviction rates.
KAP Study findings in one of the communities (Sophia)
The study’s findings indicate that there is a disturbing pattern of violence against children in Sophia. There is evidence of neglect, verbal, physical and sexual abuse. Instances of abandonment were also drawn to the researcher’s attention. This evidence of pediatric abandonment indicates that the issue of separation does arise.
It is significant to note that the violent acts took place in the confines of the children’s homes and were perpetuated mainly by family members/a stepfather/mother or friends and acquaintances, which supports the findings of the Voices of Children: Experiences of Children with Violence Study (2005). That study found that “children are most at risk of violence in their own environments and with persons who they consider to be friends or family”.[2]
The study’s findings showed that some children spend prolonged periods, unsupervised by their caregivers. One reason advanced for this phenomenon was working parents who managed homes singly. This situation created an enabling environment for children to absent themselves from school which appeared to be a trend in the area.
An examination of data from the Ministry of Health, Maternal and Child Care Clinic in the area showed alarming rates for teen pregnancies. Of 225 recorded pregnancies from January 2006- December 1, 2007, 58/26% were teen mothers. Further, for the period January to March 2008, of the 36 recorded pregnancies, 13/36% were teenagers. This increase is raises numerous questions. Some of these include what are the Knowledge, Attitude and Practices regarding sexual activity at an early age as well as the use of Birth Control Methods. It also raises questions about the future of the young mother and that of her infant. The high levels of teen pregnancy evident in the community increases the risk of abandonment, neglect and hence separation. Teen mothers are more likely to become single parents, are more predisposed to experiencing higher levels of poverty and consequently are at higher risk of neglecting or abandoning their off spring.
There was no agency with a mandate for child protection in the community. Survivors of Child abuse had no organized support system within their immediate environs. Intervention was ad hoc and followed no established set of procedures.
The study establishes that some of the abuse suffered by children is a result of caregivers’ beliefs and value systems. Some believed it was acceptable to flog children, and even the children felt that they should be punished (by being beaten) for infractions in the home/school.
This research found that the most prevalent form of abuse meted out to children in Sophia was neglect. One hundred and thirty one (80%) of the sample frame opined that child neglect does exist in the community.
This was followed by verbal abuse. Physical abuse was rated third, followed by sexual abuse. Of all the forms of abuse, the latter (sexual abuse) incurred the greatest level of intolerance. There is no organised system of protection at the community level and people had different levels of knowledge of how to report issues of child abuse. Some people felt fearful to report abuse, since they believe that they themselves would be targets of anger and wrath from abusers.
Project Rationale
Interventions should focus on prevention, protection and the reintegration of children who have experienced violence through partnerships and collaboration with government and non-government agencies. It is recognised that children thrive in an environment where they are nurturing caregivers. The necessary referrals will be made for the proper care and support of children abused including placing children in the best environment for their growth and development. The networking of organisations will increase the sharing of knowledge on best practices and strengthen referrals for a wider provision of services for children.
The ideal solution would be to have an integrated national child protection strategy which could involve the different state and non-state actors. Such a strategy would address changing public knowledge, attitudes and behaviours towards the care of children, while providing adequate services for child protection. The project also aims to reduce the psychological trauma experienced by children who are exposed to abuse[3] by developing child friendly counselling and court support services that respond to the needs of the children. There is an urgent need to ensure that there are counselling services available for the children who need them, as well as support mechanisms for interfacing with the justice system. Through the court support officers abused children will be given the opportunity to access counselling prior to, during and after the court process which is required to bring the perpetrators to justice.
The availability of standard training and awareness for health professionals in both the public and private hospitals will increase the scope of protection available to children as health care workers will be able to identify and respond appropriately to cases of abuse. There is also a need for community based awareness among families and teachers to increase parenting education, and also provide opportunities for community members to identify specific solutions.
While there is division in the society on the issue of corporal punishment of children in school and at home, there needs to be a coalition of state and other community organisations to advocate for the removal of corporal punishment from the Education Act and at all levels in society. This issue is currently being debated in parliament with a strong political party being the main activist and supported by other agencies including Help & Shelter who has taken the lead in mobilizing the coalition and EveryChild Guyana who is involved in the sharing of knowledge and best practices from its work on non-violent ways of correcting children. It is intended that this coalition on Corporal Punishment is consolidated into a strong coalition to promote child protection through this project.o
Increased education and awareness on the effects of corporal punishment will also change those attitudes, especially among younger persons who are not parents as yet. To ensure children are protection and properly cared for, caregivers (parents and teachers) need to be trained to utilize non-violent methods to correct children’s behaviour and to understand the effects physical violence has on children.
The Police department is a key stakeholder in ensuring that there is an appropriate policy on response to reports of ALL forms of child abuse. The police have access to training materials as such community based monitoring and technical support is needed to ensure appropriate police response, especially outside of Georgetown. The Domestic Violence Act provides policies for the police intervention in all forms of abuse, so increased awareness within the public will hold the police accountable for responding to reported cases of abuse.
The KAP research survey conducted in Sophia (available from highlighted the forms of abuse in the area, the most prevalent being neglect and verbal abuse followed by physical abuse often rooted in the cultural trends and family practices. EveryChildGuyana's experience in Guyana with the Agricola Literacy Project and the OneLife Project has shown that it is possible to provide skills and knowledge to parents and other caregivers and service providers to ensure non-abusive parenting.
The approach adopted in this project is based on experience of EveryChild Guyanaand Help and Shelter in doing work to reduce child abuse in Guyana. The KAP survey reflected that there was knowledge and awareness in the community of child abuse, and preventative methods, though there was discrepancy in the appropriate intervention methods. This project presents an opportunity to develop a community based response to child abuse, while there are other interventions nationally.
How does the project relate to the work of other organisations?
The Government agencies have developed various initiatives such as a National Domestic Violence Policy which recognises that children are affected by domestic violence and that there should be appropriate interventions. Other NGOs such as EDUCARE examine issues on Child Labour, while the Georgetown Legal Aid Clinic has established a programme for a Child Legal Advocate to represent children who are in conflict with the law. UNICEF has several national programmes, including supporting the Government in the reform of the Sexual Offences Act to improve the recourse to justice for children. Help & Shelter would like to perpetuate the successes of the OneLife Project and the Agricola Literacy Project and to use its own experience in working with state actors such as the police, health workers and other frontline workers to create the sustainable change which is necessary to ensure that children can be protected from abuse in their communities.
The project’s vision, mission, goal, objectives, KPIs and Outputs – what you are hoping to achieve
Vision
Children receive access to care and support services to prevent and protect them from all forms of violence and abuse. Children and residents are not stigmatized because of where they live and are fully involved in developmental activities in their community. There are adequate support systems and training for caregivers and parents to enable them to develop safe and nurturing families. Parents are involved in their children’s education. There is 100% school attendance. Young persons have access to skills training and an opportunity to earn a sustainable livelihood. The environmental conditions are suitable for raising healthy children and families. The community has youth friendly and safe spaces for children. Caregivers and service providers have the skills to provide adequate care for children to eliminate the incidence of violence and abuse. The members of the joint services are trained and equipped to respond professionally to reports of child abuse and other incidences of crime involving children. The community supports and encourages the spiritual and moral development of children.
Mission
Through a rights based approach the Pickney Project will –
- Provide psychosocial support and for children who have been abused or are at risk
- Develop parenting skills education workshops to transfer skills about non-violent parenting.
- Ensure that the needs of children with disabilities are considered in all activities
- Collaborate with government, non-governmental agencies, community leaders and religious leaders to share information and knowledge, strengthen referrals, monitor school attendance through the Ministry of Education Welfare Department and develop initiatives to resolve issues of child abuse.
To improve the lives of children experiencing violence and abuse and other vulnerable children at risk in Georgetown, Sophia, Good Hope and Region 9 by promoting the safety and protection of children. (UNCRC article 2, 3, 5, 9, 12, 16 and 19)
Project Objectives
- Increased awareness of child protection with parents, caregivers and the general community through community based and public education by 2011
- Worked with the Guyana Police Force to ensure that police are responding to reports of child abuse in a professional manner which ensures that victims are not further exposed to abuse by March 2011
- Health Care Providers and teachers’ capacity built to detect and intervene in child abuse by March 2010
- Increased access to psycho-social support including child friendly counselling and court support for children abused and at risk by 2011
- Facilitated a network of organisations – faith based, community based, youth groups, government and non-government - who would work to support child protection and rights