For children, the longest school holidays, the July-August vacation period, is blissful.
It is an escape from the rigours of school structure. It spells freedom from studies and not having to wake up early and commute in traffic. It is a period of carefree days, visions of adventures in the blistering sun, and play.
As a parent, those two months always presented me, as I am certain it does others, with challenges as to how to keep my child occupied and safe.
As a child, growing up in a different era, my parents probably had the same difficulty. We lived in rural Trinidad, so our days also had river fishing, raiding everyone’s mango trees, marble/pitching matches, and stuff country people do.
My parents did not seem too overwhelmed with me on vacation, but we were mostly all related where I grew up and they probably felt safe enough to have other relatives supervise me.
Retrospectively, they probably should not have. Still, in all fairness, the good times of my vacation far outweigh other experiences. And it was a far safer time than what obtains in this present progressed world.
These long unstructured days, weeks and months is an entire shift in children’s life that could impact their safety.
Children may find themselves paired with unacquainted caregivers. They may be unsupervised or housed with unsafe adults for long periods increasing their vulnerability to physical, emotional, and sexual harm. Sometimes, there is child-on-child abuse, so the risk is also among siblings, cousins, friends and neighbours.
These are the realities.
When the school environment shifts, risks and exposures are elevated due to:
Reduced daily contact with teachers: Teachers and staff act as a preventive measure because they often are sensitive to the warning signs and are among the first to notice signs of abuse or neglect.
Supervised or formal care may not be equipped: Camp leaders and volunteers, vacation community interventions, and even family members may not have the training in child protection or sensitivity to changes in children’s behaviour when abuse is present. Sleepovers too, like camps, present risks.
Increased access for predators and perpetrators: Lack of supervision for inordinately long periods provides more opportunity for abusers, especially with informal or irregular supervision.
Family stress: The financial pressures of holiday time are high. For some families it may be the cost of care; for others it may be the demands for more food and recreation. Whichever, stress triggers other forms of domestic abuse which impact children.
Unsupervised online time: Parents equip children with phones, tablets and other devices to keep them engaged. We know that these devices, without appropriate use, supervision, and controls, may put children at higher risks of online grooming and exploitation by predators.
Abuse does not go on vacation. So, every safe adult should consider how to monitor their child’s well-being and who they choose to help supervise and monitor them.
T&T’s Children’s Authority always advocates for children’s safety in the holidays. Messages throughout the years have cautioned our population about the higher incidence of abuse of children, “particularly sexual abuse, during vacation periods.”
Focus on prevention
The Children’s Authority also says research shows that helping children identify risks promotes prevention. Children of parents who talk openly, reinforcing the issues of abuse with them are often better equipped to protect themselves.
Sensitising children to the risk improves their awareness. Having open conversations allow them a space they can return to if they are abused or are conflicted about compromising behaviour towards them.
“Often, it is the small, everyday choices adults make that help reduce risk and build protection,” says Darkness to Light, a US-based organisation focused on ending child abuse.
“Asking questions before a sleepover. Knowing who is supervising activities. Keeping communication open during (school holidays). Staying involved in children’s online lives,” are all suggestions to promote prevention.
They suggest the following:
Talk early and often: Have age-appropriate conversations with children about boundaries, body safety, and who they can talk to if something feels wrong.
Minimise one-on-one situations: Whenever possible, follow the rule of three. Ensure that another adult or child is present during all activities.
Stay informed: Properly vet caregivers. Enquire about safety policies at camps and programmes, and ensure that background checks, reference checks, and child protection training are part of the hiring process.
Set digital boundaries: Monitor screen time, know what apps, platforms, and privacy settings your child is using, and keep open lines of communication about their online activity.
Train yourself and others: One of the most effective ways to protect children is to become educated in prevention (d2l.org).
In promoting vigilance, and in working to reduce early-life trauma from childhood abuse we are encouraged as individuals and as communities to become active in prevention and advocating for child safety.
Children’s Authority of Trinidad and Tobago: call 996 or 800-2014.
Childline Trinidad and Tobago for confidential counselling and support at 131 or 800-4325.
Trinidad and Tobago Police Service (TTPS) at 999 for emergency interventions.
