Reporter
carisa.lee@cnc3.co.tt
Over 2,000 reports of sexual abuse of girls and 500 reports of sexual abuse of boys were made to the Children’s Authority between 2020 and 2021.
These allegations of abuse were investigated by the Children’s Authority and sent to the Trinidad and Tobago Police Service (TTPS) for criminal investigations to commence.
But despite the action taken by the authority, data still revealed a troubling number of sexually abused children.
During the pandemic in 2020, the Children’s Authority said it received 295 reports of sexual abuse (SA) against boys and almost four times that amount of reports (1,157) for girls.
Out of the 1,452 reports made, 20.3 per cent were boys and 79.7 per cent were girls.
And in 2021, there was a decrease in sexual abuse reports made for boys at 196 or 16.1 per cent and 1,020 were made for girls at 83.9 per cent.
The total reports made that year were 1,216.
These statistics were first disclosed by Minister of Social Development and Family Services Donna Cox on Wednesday, during the Women’s Round Table Platform to commemorate the 16 Days of Activism against Gender-based Violence.
She had said there was a 62 per cent increase in sexual violence against girls under the age of 15.
Cox also revealed that these increases range from as low as nine per cent in the 15-19 age group, to as high as 106 per cent in the 30 to 34 age bracket for the same time frame (2020-2021).
She said until September 2023, women accounted for 75 per cent of the reports of domestic violence made to the TTPS and the remaining 25 per cent were men.
The minister said for the period January to September this year, there were 972 calls made to the domestic violence hotline, with women being 95 per cent of the callers.
Meanwhile, the Children’s Authority explained that the removal of a child from his or her family is only done when an investigation determines that the child is in imminent danger and removal is necessary and in the best interest of the child.
It said its philosophy is that children thrive best in a family environment.
The authority added that if it is determined the child must be removed from his/her parents, it will seek to place the child with a non-offending relative and explore the option of foster care placement or placement in a community residence.
On Thursday, the head of the Gender-based Violence Unit of the TTPS, Supt Claire Guy-Alleyne, told Guardian Media that arrests following reports of sexual violence against children have been made.
She said since 2020, there have been numerous arrests and the young survivors were offered psychosocial support.
How to protect your children against violence:
•Teach children Ok and Not Ok touches
• Monitor your child’s friendships
• Teach children that it’s okay to say “no” to unwanted hugs, kisses, or other affection, even from family members.
• Ask about sleeping arrangements and who frequents the household, when children are away from home
•Know who is supervising your child at all times
• Encourage children to keep personal information private
• Use privacy settings on social media sites
• People entrusted to supervise children should be responsible adults.
