`The problem is very serious because more and more every day children are joining those gangs on the street and we are not convinced that all these children don't have homes because, in fact, most of them have homes' - Minister Bibi Shadick
By Mark Ramotar
CABINET on Tuesday appointed a high-level task force to deal with the "serious issue" of removing children from the streets, Secretary, Dr. Roger Luncheon announced yesterday.

The body will be responsible for finding ways and means to reintegrate street children into the family and school system wherever possible and to provide programmes that would refine their social and emotional skills, while at the same time providing counselling to them and their families.

Luncheon, also Head of the Presidential Secretariat, reported the development at a news conference at the Office of the President in Georgetown.

He said Cabinet has noted that the street children phenomenon is part of a bigger picture of inadequate supervision of schoolchildren by both parents and authorities, leading to their absence from school during school hours and their involvement in unlawful and often times dangerous pursuits.

Cabinet has appointed four ministers members of the task force. They are Ms. Bibi Shadick, Minister within the Ministry of Labour, Human Services and Social Security; Dr. Jennifer Westford, Minister of Public Service; Mr. Ronald Gajraj, Minister of Home Affairs and Ms. Gail Teixeira, Minister of Culture, Youth and Sports.

The task force also comprises Mr. Hydar Ally, Permanent Secretary of the Education Ministry; Magistrate Juliet Moore; Bishop Juan Edghill; Ms. Patricia Gray, Assistant Chief Probation Officer; Dr. Bheri Ramsarran and Ms. Shirley Ferguson, Coordinator of the Rights of the Child. The body will also include a representative from the Police Juvenile Branch.

Luncheon said a wider mobilisation for task force membership will be sought as the dimensions of this social issue are revealed.

The Education Ministry, through its School Welfare Division is carrying out a campaign for truancy, but when contacted yesterday, Shadick said the task force will deal with the "national thing" of which truancy is a part.

She noted that there are a number of children of school age, not necessarily in school uniform, who are wandering around Georgetown.

"We estimate that the street children population is about 30 right now...this we know for sure," Shadick told the Chronicle in a telephone interview.

"We've spoken to them and they say that they have homes...," she said, adding that her ministry has a `drop-in' centre which is now situated in the Palms compound in Brickdam.

According to her, the task force will have goals of seeing how to remove children from the streets; finding ways and means to reintegrate them into the family and education systems wherever possible; helping them identify their immediate (short- or long-term) goals; creating possible impacts and providing programmes that would refine their social and emotional skills; educating and re-educating them and providing counselling to both them and their families.

Shadick said she had suggested to Cabinet that the task force can perhaps also deal with the problems of truancy and the culture of female members of the school population who "ride the mini-buses". She said Cabinet approved the recommendation.

"The problem is very serious because more and more every day children are joining those gangs on the street and we are not convinced that all these children don't have homes because, in fact, most of them have homes," the minister said.

She noted it is a very serious problem that needs to be addressed.

Commenting on whether it is a temporary or permanent body, Shadick said the task force will meet and make recommendations until the problem is resolved. She said as it goes about its work, other interested persons will be invited to make inputs by way of discussions and making recommendations.

The members of the task force have not had a meeting yet but Shadick is hopeful that one will be called as early as next week.

The ministries of Education, and Human Services and Social Security School Welfare Departments on October 22 embarked on a campaign in Georgetown to keep students off the streets during school hours.

The team including City Constabulary personnel, visited the Stabroek Market and its environs and detained six students found loitering in the market area at around 10:00 hrs.

The students, most of them girls, were from a number of schools including the Carmel Community High School (CHS), Ascension High and St Barnabas Special school. They were in their school uniforms.

Excuses for not being in school ranged from `the school gate was locked', `suspension for fighting' and `waking up late'.

Vendors in the market expressed satisfaction at the move by the ministries.

One said they are willing to assist to keep the children from loitering in the market, but when they attempt to do so, they are verbally abused by the students.

He suggested that the relevant authorities enforce the laws, so that when these children are caught out of school, their parents will have to pay a fine.

Vendors complained that every day school children are seen in the area, and complimented the officers on the work done.

Officers also visited several other areas including cinemas and the Botanic Gardens in the city.