The Tribune

EDITOR, The Tribune.

Today (19/1/20) I received a very disturbing video on social media of the physical and psychological abuse being committed on well over a dozen children by four or five female staff at the Children’s Emergency Hostel. This is totally unacceptable and heads should roll for this. These women should hang their heads in shame for their behaviour.

It makes you question what kind of heart beats in their bodies. How can you sit, watch and take part in the abuse of innocent kids? How could you watch them live through a nightmare like that? Knowing that you can stop it from happening, you opt to sit back laughing and mocking. Do you have children of your own? Would you like your children to be placed in a home should circumstances allow and they be ill treated? What if it was you, would you approve and appreciate it? I can only imagine what else goes on inside that place, abuse comes in so many forms. In my opinion these women should never work with or around children ever again. How long has this been going on?

The damage they all caused on the mental and emotional states of all those kids in there is astounding if you really think about it. This trauma will take a toll on their innocent souls for the rest of their lives, especially if professional help is not sourced. Then we wonder why our young generation is so out of control. In my opinion it’s because of people like those women who mistreat and misguide. Children learn from the lifestyle they are surrounded by. In my opinion, they don’t listen and learn as much as they watch and learn from us: The way we show love to one another, respect one another and how we resolve issues among ourselves. Many adults take it for granted that our children are watching everything that we do. Pass on the good things for we are creating our future as well through them. Teach them how to love and be loved a lot of them don’t know how. I realize that we have many adults who are lacking the same.

Raising children is hard at times, yes, but you don’t discipline in the way these women did it. You should talk to them and show them their errors first and if it happens again you can resort to spanking or tapping with the belt. I do believe God’s word that to spare the rod is to spoil the child so at times it is called for. But not in the way those women carried it out on those little souls.

Being a mother not only brings out love for your own children, but an appreciation and love for other children. Try looking through their eyes and see how they view the world that you play a big role in. Give them the childhood that you would have wanted. Teach them how to realise their mistakes, sit and listen to their thoughts and feelings not just talk and demand. Give them the same respect that you demand. Don’t you know that you are creating a future for you too by the way you are raising them? Every man and woman in our society has an impact on our nation’s children. They watch our behaviour so if we want better let’s do better.

I cry out to local pastors and leaders in government to please show up for those children in full force and protect them. Many adults overlook stress on children, but the truth is so many are afflicted with chronic stress as compared to ours. Let us all lend a helping hand however we can to our little ones who are vulnerable at the Children’s Emergency Hostel and any other children’s home. If you know of any abuse of any child please speak up and don’t endorse this hideous crime to go on and corrode our children and society.

RACHEL CARTWRIGHT

Nassau,

January 20, 2021.