Greater protection is on the horizon for children across Barbados as Government gears up to bring the final draft Child Protection Legislation to Cabinet next week, and before Parliament by year end.
Once approved, the document will bring an end to children being charged for wandering, and enforce the mandatory reporting of suspected cases of child abuse.
Minister of People Empowerment and Elder Affairs, Kirk Humphrey, made these announcements at the start of the inaugural meeting of the National Committee for Monitoring the Rights of the Child at the Ministry on Wednesday.
“I am taking to Cabinet next week the final draft of the Child Protection Legislation. Once Cabinet approves that, we will have that debate in Parliament before the end of this year, and pass legislation that protects the children of Barbados in its entirety,” he stated.
Mr. Humphrey explained that under the current Law, children found wandering were “caught up in the child justice system”, even in cases where they were running away from abusive situations.
“So we have taken that out. It is no longer going to be a criminal offence within the Child Protection Legislation,” he said, noting such children will be cared for under the new agency responsible for child protection.
At the same time, the Minister explained that there was a need to reach a middle ground between children who required only care and protection and those who, because of their circumstances, should not be introduced to the justice system.
“That speaks to having to create a new institutional and administrative arrangement for the person in the middle to make sure that we are able to address all components in relation to children,” Mr. Humphrey pointed out.
He added that the mandatory reporting of suspected child abuse cases was also embedded in the new legislation, making it compulsory for those in professional institutions such as doctors, nurses and police to come forward with information.
“We believe that is going to be a game changer. This will require conversations with the police, the nurses and doctors and so on, so they can understand where we are going with this legislation,” the Minister outlined.
He gave the assurance that there will be built-in protections for persons who made reports in good faith, but they were proven not to be the case.
“This legislation is not a flash in the pan legislation. This is very detailed. It is the most advanced and highly represented piece of legislation for children in the region, and arguably one of the strongest pieces that you will see in the world,” Mr. Humphrey stated.
Chair of the National Committee for Monitoring the Rights of the Child, Faith Marshall-Harris, also described the pending legislation as “groundbreaking” for Barbados and the region, noting that it incorporated the United Nations (UN) Convention on the Rights of the Child and other international agreements.
The terms of reference for the Committee are ensuring that the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child are implemented in Barbados, monitoring that implementation; advocating, advising and making recommendations on issues and policy aimed at protecting and promoting the rights of children.
It must also facilitate public education exercises aimed at sensitising communities and build partnerships that respect the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child and liaise with the Ministry of People Empowerment to ensure that Government’s timely reporting to the United Nations Committee on the Convention is achieved.