Palms building for street children's night shelter By Miranda La Rose Stabroek News November 28, 2000 The Ministry of Human Services and Social Security has received funding from central government to rehabilitate one of the buildings in the Palms Compound for a night shelter for street children. It has also received funding from government to rehabilitate another building to be used as a counselling centre for abused children. Addressing a gathering at a National Forum on Child Abuse at Le Meridien Pegasus yesterday, Minister Indra Chandarpal said that the ministry hoped that by February next year the night shelter would be ready for use. She noted that already there was a drop-in centre supported by the ministry. This was already making a difference in the society, but it was clear that this project must be complemented by the night shelter. And because a number of abused children had nowhere to go for counselling, Chandarpal said, the ministry was establishing a centre to provide this service. She congratulated the National Commission on the Rights of the Child (NCRC) and the United Nations Children Fund (UNICEF) for their collaborative effort in hosting the forum. Chandarpal also pledged the ministry's commitment to put into effect the recommendations of children, who were represented at the opening ceremony by St Stanislaus College sixth former Yimochi Melville. In a stirring appeal, Melville presented 16 recommendations to the forum, which he said came out of discussions a group of children held on the subject over the past year. Melville said that many people did not believe that child abuse was prevalent. However, of the group of children who discussed the subject, Melville said, 50% of them said they were abused in the home and 40% said they were abused in school. Most of these incidents, he said, were never referred to or were not discussed with anyone. Melville said: "We the children of Guyana are saying that child abuse is more common than you think and we want it to stop. We need your help. We need you to take urgent action. We have decided on 16 recommendations which we would like you to act on." Education psychologist and commissioner Dr Brian O'Toole chaired the opening session. Other key speakers were President Bharrat Jag-deo; Chairman of the National Commission on the Rights of the Child, First Lady Varshnie Jagdeo; UNICEF Assistant Represen-tative, Juan Carlos Espinola; Coordinator of the NCRC, Shirley Ferguson; Attorney-at-Law and Presi-dent of the Guyana Bar Asso-ciation, Anande Trotman; and communications consultant, Paloma Mohamed. Also speaking out against child abuse in song and verse were the boys choir of West Ruimveldt Primary School; Devina Williams of Wauna Primary School in Region One with "My parents always beat me" and Shonette Jack with another poem "He raped me". The workshop dealt with reducing and eradicating child abuse in schools. The recommendations Children want: 1. Child abuse sessions like the ones recently held in schools to be conducted on a regular basis in the presence of parents and head teachers, and in some cases in the presence of teachers but not parents. 2. An active student council in every school to represent students. 3. Television talk shows for children who are victims of abuse to make people more aware of what is happening. 4. To know more about their rights. 5. Suggestion boxes in schools. 6. To be able to speak out and identify abusers. 7. Seminars, parent and teachers meetings and home visits to educate parents regarding child abuse. 8. Support from parents to help them to get over the ordeal of abuse faster. 9. Teachers who sexually abuse children to be dismissed and not transferred from one school to another. 10. Counselling centres in every region and psychological help for victims of child abuse. 11. Severe penalties for persons who sexually abuse children, for example, life imprisonment. 12. Permanent probarion and welfare services in every region. 13. Offenders to be publicly exposed. 14. Laws to be enforced. 15. Child abuse shelters in every region to provide a refuge for children where they can be protected. 16. A reduction in poverty. Follow the goings-on in Guyana in Guyana Today