The Tribune

By RASHAD ROLLE

Tribune Staff Reporter

rrolle@tribunemedia.net

A SENIOR administrator of a New Providence school is disturbed by what the COVID-19 lockdown could mean for vulnerable children and wants the government to outline measures to help youngsters at risk of abuse.

She said she has remained in contact with her most vulnerable students during the school closure and some of their stories are already harrowing.

One 15-year-old victim of sexual abuse threatened to run away last week if she failed to find him a temporary shelter, she said.

Another 16-year-old girl called her while enduring physical and verbal abuse from her mother.

And on Monday, a 15-year-old girl whose mother died in Abaco during Hurricane Dorian called her crying––she was hungry and has heightened anxiety sharing a small home with 19 other people for 24-hours each day, she said.

The school administrator’s anonymous interview with The Tribune came a day after the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) said children are “at heightened risk of abuse, neglect, exploitation and violence amidst the intensifying containment measures” happening worldwide.

“I would like to see the Ministry of Social Services reach out to schools, to guidance counsellors, to find out those kids that are most vulnerable at this time and have somebody check on them,” she said. “I know this is a difficult time but don’t just make a phone call, please physically check on them.”

The school administrator said she has found temporary shelter for two of her students: the boy who threatened to run away and the girl abused by her mother. She worries what will happen to all the vulnerable children she does not know. She said she is in regular contact with at least eight other children she considers especially vulnerable, having bought them cell data to stay in touch.

“A lot of people can’t deal with this curfew and I feel the frustration will be taken out on that child,” she said. “Rather than use the time to improve family relationships, this could go the opposite way. One of my students called me and I had to go to her. She said: ‘My mom isn’t going back to work until so and so and she’s taking everything out on me.’ I told her I need proof and she got me proof so I went to the home and told the mother you can have one of two solutions, either you let the child come with me, or I play the audio she sent me for the police.”

Tavarrie Smith, a lawyer and juvenile rights advocate, said for some children the closure of school means the loss of their only safe haven.

“The quarantine situation is extremely difficult for a lot of families to process and it can be stressful,” he said. “Sometimes that stress can be displaced and is often displaced on the child. Children become victims because of the economic and social stress the guardians are under.”

“I’ve had persons reach out to me who have had to remove children from homes where there are acts of violence taking place and make arrangements for those children to stay with other family members until the quarantine period is over.

“I’ve had others reach out asking where do they go because their child is asking if a friend could stay with them because that friend is afraid of going home and doesn’t want to go home. Usually people could contact the Child Protection Unit ,which would investigate claims, especially in emergency cases, but the government needs to release a statement informing the public whether the Child Protection Unit is still functioning and the government should make those emergency numbers available to the public. People need to be aware of what they can do to record child abuse.”

Mr Smith said with children residential homes full, the government should consider temporary shelters for vulnerable youth.

“What we need is for the government and the Department of Social Services to lay out what the plan is for children who are vulnerable for abuse and sexual exploitation,” he said.

For his part, Education Minister Jeff Lloyd said yesterday it is a “grave concern” that some children are now most vulnerable in their homes.

“I’m happy for the suggestion we should possibly engage more of our guidance counsellors who can assist our parents and guardians who may need additional psychological support,” he said. “Unfortunately, too many of our parents have limited skill-sets dealing with anxiety and other stressful situations. We are trying to get our toll-free lines up so parents can call and access our professionals to help them negotiate these different and stressful times. It is a dark spot on our emotional and psychological character that some children who should be safest in the arms and confines of their parents and caregivers could in fact be most vulnerable in that environment. That is a deep concern and should be alarming to all of our society.”