The Tribune

EDITOR, The Tribune.

The article about children being severely beaten and mocked by staff in an emergency care home is sickening.

How could such shocking abuse be meted out to helpless children by their caregivers and how long has this been going on? How many people were involved or knew about the mistreatment and silently stood by?

Are the caregivers vetted and trained and does anyone independently check on the wellbeing of the children?

While the Minister of Social Services is correct to pledge no stone will go unturned in a full, impartial investigation, who is looking after these children in the meantime?

Are they still in the same nightmarish place where they were forced to endure such barbaric abuse? Have the people under investigation been removed pending the outcome?

Judging from the video report, these children will be traumatised and emotionally scarred. Are they receiving counselling?

The media houses must stay on this story until justice is done.

Unfortunately, this type of behaviour is not uncommon in wider society where “parents” see no wrong in abusing their children.

It goes hand in hand with the archaic treatment of women. In 2021, the Bahamas does not recognize that all citizens are created equally.

The government has failed to introduce legislation to outlaw marital rape and to provide for gender equality on the citizenship issue.

Despite a commitment for gender equality, successive governments have instead used women as political pawns, spouting all sorts of empty platitudes at the United Nations, but doing absolutely nothing at home to end this gross form of discrimination following the failed politicised referendums.

The disrespect towards women who are no more than second class citizens in their own country along with cruel parenting fuels domestic abuse/murder and a growing subculture of hardened, violent young people who go on to abuse others in return.

Is it any wonder we are such a violent society?

ATHENA DAMIANOS

January 20, 2021