Sascha Wilson
Senior Reporter
sascha.wilson@guardian.co.tt
A High Court judge has reminded educators of their legal and moral duty to protect students, warning that failure to report sexual crimes against minors could result in fines or imprisonment.
Delivering the feature address at the Presbyterian Primary Schools Board of Education Principals’ Conference at Susumachar Presbyterian Church, San Fernando, yesterday, Justice Frank Seepersad said educators must act to safeguard children, even when doing so is uncomfortable or inconvenient.
Urging principals to encourage staff to be observant and attentive—without being intrusive—he said: “Body language, demeanour and sudden changes in students’ behaviour are signs that often tell stories long before words do. Be alert to mental health challenges and, when they are apparent, provide avenues for intervention.”
Justice Seepersad noted that matters involving children extend beyond criminal offences and include issues of care and protection, mental health, exposure to domestic violence, neglect, abandonment and exploitation.
Encouraging principals to build strong working relationships with the Children’s Authority, he said: “Understand when referral is appropriate and never forget that the law recognises that children who are ill-treated, neglected, exposed to moral danger, abandoned or living in destabilising circumstances require intervention, not silence. This is how you can make a meaningful impact in the lives of your students.”
Referring to the proclamation of the Children Act 2012, Seepersad said Section 31(1) of the Sexual Offences Act, Chapter 11:28, imposes a mandatory duty on teachers who have reasonable grounds to believe a sexual offence has been committed against a minor to report the matter to a police officer as soon as reasonably practicable.
Failure to do so, he warned, could result in arrest and, on summary conviction, a fine of $15,000 or imprisonment for up to seven years, or both.
The judge added that there is also a mandatory obligation to report cases where children are engaging in sexual activity with each other.
“So never forget that turning a blind eye is not neutrality, silence is not safety, and inaction can be complicity,” he said.
Addressing domestic violence, Justice Seepersad cautioned principals against misinterpreting distress as defiance, noting that children exposed to violence in the home may present as disruptive in the classroom.
Justice Seepersad said schools must serve as safe spaces—not only physically, but emotionally and psychologically as well.
