Government and Opposition MPs spoke with one voice in Parliament on Wednesday night when they all voted "yes" for the Children Bill 2012. The bill, which seeks to protect children from abuse, was approved with amendments shortly before midnight. It was presented for debate by Gender Affairs, Youth and Child Development Minister Verna St Rose-Greaves. It was one of four bills which were passed in the marathon 14-hour sitting. St Rose-Greaves said the time had come for all citizens to stop the blame game and contribute positively towards the protection of children. Opposition MP Donna Cox raised that issue during her contribution earlier.
St Rose-Greaves said the Government had listened to the Opposition and drafted several amendments to ensure the bill was approved in the interest of the children. She also said the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) was consulted on the legislation. St Rose-Greaves said it was unacceptable for girls to be sent to the women's prison for offences. That, she added, had been taking place for more than two years. She said approval had been given for the establishment of a detention centre for the girls but no venue had been identified as yet. Opposition MP Joan Thomas said the bill must not have any loopholes to allow child abusers to escape without facing the full brunt of the law. She also spoke about a schoolchild who was pregnant for her father and no one made any report about the act of incest. At that point Education Minister Dr Tim Gopeesingh asked her to provide him with the details to allow an investigation into the matter.
Thomas said the case had not been reported in the media.
Another bill passed was the Maternity Protection Bill, which seeks to increase maternity leave from 13 to 14 weeks. Other bills passed were the Legal Aid Amendment Bill, presented by Justice Minister Herbert Volney, and the Bacteriological (Biological) and Toxin Weapons Bill, 2011. The House also approved Senate amendments to the Administration of Justice (DNA) Bill with the required majority vote. All 28 Government MPs present said "yes," while the nine Opposition MPs voted against it. Opposition MP Colm Imbert presented two motions, one on the alleged dumping of garbage and other debris by the Diego Martin Regional Corporation after flooding in the area last November. Local Government Minister Chandresh Sharma denied Imbert's claim in his response. In the other motion, Imbert alleged that Jerry David, a convicted national, was hired to chair the disaster unit of the same corporation. Sharma, in response, said the worker was retained by the UNC after being hired by the former People's National Movement administration.