The Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago speaks at the launch of the Break the Silence Campaign (ending Child Sex Abuse) Wed 15th Jan 2014

1. GOVERNMENT OF THE REPUBLIC OF TRINIDAD & TOBAGO
OFFICE OF THE PRIME MINISTER
SPEAKING NOTES FOR
THE HONOURABLE KAMLA PERSAD BISSESSAR, SC, MP
PRIME MINISTER OF THE REPUBLIC OF TRINIDAD & TOBAGO
AT
THE LAUNCH OF THE BREAK THE SILENCE CAMPAIGN
(…ENDING CHILD SEX ABUSE)
WEDNESDAY 15 JANUARY 2014
1:30PM
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2. Salutations
 The Honourable Clifton De Coteau, Minister of Gender, Youth
and Child Development
 Senator the Honourable Raziah Ahmed, Minister of State,
Ministry of Gender, Youth and Child Development
 Ms Khin-Sandi Lwin, UNICEF Representative for the Eastern
Caribbean
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 Members of the Media
 Ladies and Gentlemen
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3. INTRODUCTION
Good afternoon to you all and thank you for your invitation to be
a very willing and eager participant in the launch of the Break The
Silence campaign.
Quite frequently, I find myself at centre-stage for launches,
negotiations, update reports and the announcement of decisions,
speaking with the people of our nation and region.
On each of those occasions, it is with a sense of excitement, that
I take my responsibility very seriously.
Today, however, there was a different feeling as I entered this
room, and as I listened to the contributions made by eminent
persons in the field of child protection.
What I felt was hope, and also some anger, and sadness, and
empathy.
What I felt was the weight of a significant responsibility and a
deep determination to fulfil that responsibility completely.
And today, as we launch the Break The Silence campaign, I do so
encouraged not only by the number of people who have put their
lives into securing the lives and wellbeing of our children, but also
by the level of force and commitment from each and every one of
you.
I therefore begin by thanking, congratulating and honouring you
all for your work and your perseverance.
BREAKING THE SILENCE
When the news breaks of a child who has suffered unimaginable
abuse, immediately a fury is ignited, nationally.
As a people, we become enraged and we call for immediate
justice.
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4. As a people, it is our duty to protect the children of our nation.
As human beings, it is our instinct.
But today, we are focusing on breaking the silence that will not
only uncover the horror that some children must endure, but
could also prevent it, by identifying risks and acting quickly.
Therefore, to break the silence, one thing that we must do is to
surrender the urge that fuels a national fury after news of child
abuse comes out, and channel it to passionate commitment to
speak out the moment we have good reason to believe a child is
at risk.
It is also important that we do not leave breaking the silence on
child abuse to children alone. While we must encourage our
children to be brave and to feel sure that when they reach their
hands out for help, the adult who responds will help indeed help
them…the bigger responsibility falls on us.
Any child facing any risk anywhere in our country and in our
region makes us responsible for helping them find safety.
THE CHILD PROTECTION TASK FORCE
On the part of Government, it is all too easy to say that we
cannot be in every home and every community at all times; that
parents and adults must also share responsibility for the safety of
children.
Today, I am not here to do that.
My purpose here today is to engage a very meaningful
conversation with you, the stakeholders, and with the people of
our nation who are listening.
And that conversation, on the one hand, is aimed at describing
how my Government has worked to provide every policy and
institutional measure to empower everyone to be our children’s
protectors…
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5. And also, to ask you to continue telling us how, together, we can
do more to ensure that our children can live their lives as children
and experience the joys of childhood, without risk.
When I was given the full details of the tragic death of Keyanna
Cumberbatch, I cannot fully describe my reaction – it was utter
agony, sympathy and anger all mixed together.
As a mother, I simply could not conceive of the torment the
family was suddenly plunged into.
But my role as Prime Minister required that my response was
based on determined action to do something significant that will
save our children.
I appointed a Child Protection Task Force, headed by the
renowned Advocate, Diana Mahabir-Wyatt, and including some of
the most dedicated men and women in our country.
My mandate to the Task Force was to comprehensively review the
framework that is currently in place to protect children, and
propose measures which we must immediately pursue to fortify
those measures.
As I discuss the details of the first report of the Task Force, I
must personally thank all members who dedicated their time and
their passions to delivering these findings. Thank you!
Chief among the findings was the undertaking that all legislative
and administrative issues required to make the Children’s
Authority of Trinidad & Tobago fully functional be immediately
taken.
One of the key factors that will make this possible will be finally
filling vacancies which exist. The Task Force report found that of
97 vacancies which currently exist, only 19 of those positions are
filled.
I have instructed the Minister of Gender, Youth and Child
Development, the Honourable Clifton De Coteau to actively
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6. pursue a resolution to this problem and in his most recent
update, I understand that the process is well advanced.
I further instructed the Inter-Ministerial team to ensure that the
Children’s Authority was availed the financial resources that will
propel their full functioning.
You will be pleased to know that work will also begin this month
on the Authority’s first Assessment Centre at the Children’s
Hospital at the Eric Williams Medical Sciences Complex. The
centre will be fully operational by June of this year.
The Ministry of Gender, Youth and Child Development is also be
constructing two Assessment Centres, one in South Trinidad
(Manahambre Road, St. Madeline) and one in Chaguanas. The
centres will be fully operational by September of this year.
These centres will provide an expanded presence of the critical
personnel who can receive, assess and activate emergency
processes wherever a child is believed to be facing abuse of any
kind.
While this is happening, the Ministry is also moving to ensure that
appropriate facilities are provided for the emergency and foster
care of children.
In December 2013, two meetings were held with the Ministry and
NIPDEC regarding project management and construction
management services contracts for 10 new construction projects
(named below) and 10 refurbishment projects (named below)
across the country.
New Construction Projects:
1. Regional Assessment Centre, Manahambre Road, Ste
Madeline
2. Assessment centre, Chaguanas
3. Female Safe Home Off Reform Road, Reform Village Princes
Town
4. Male Safe Home, Tyler Lane, Ste Madeline
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7. 5. Female Safe Home, Guayaguayare
6. Male Transition Home
7. Institute of Healing, Chatham
8. Remand Home for young Female Offenders, Orange Grove
9. Multipurpose Youth Facility, Osbourne Lane, Ste Madeline
10.
St Dominic’s Living Quarters for Girls
Refurbishment Projects
1. Chatham Youth development and Apprenticeship Centre
2. Persto Praesto Youth Development and Apprenticeship
Centre
3. Laventille Youth Training Facility
4. Malick Youth Training Facility
5. California Youth Training Facility
6. Los Bajos Youth Training Facility
7. St Michael’s School for Boys
8. St Mary’s Children’s Home
9. St Dominic’s Children’s Home- Old Bethlehem House
10.
Inter-Disciplinary Child Development Centre –Couva
In addition, for the Authority to operate at its full capacity and
mandate, there are two key pieces of legislation from this
package, which must be proclaimed:
 The Children’s Authority Act, and
 The Children’s Community Residences, Foster Homes and
Nurseries Act, 2000
A third Act - the 2012 Children Act would strengthen treatment of
offences against children, and the manner in which the Court
interacts with children.
In effect the three Acts are inter-related and mutually dependent
and I have given the commitment to pursue all measures
necessary for their full proclamation by His Excellency the
President.
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8. With the recommendations made by the Task Force, and with the
very clear mandates I have issued to all line Ministers involved, a
fully operational Children’s Authority will achieve its full capacity
by:
 Receiving complaints or expressions of concern from
children and adults about the treatment of any child;
 Investigating and treating with the complaints of staff,
children and parents/guardians, as well as reports of
mistreatment of children in their homes;
 Making applications to the Court to further the welfare of
children;
 Providing services for children whether they live with their
families or not;
 Establishing and maintaining places of safety, support and
assessment centres, reception centres and hostels;
 Establishing and operating a foster care system;
 Assuming conduct of the Adoption process;
 Establishing standards for and monitoring community
residences, foster care homes and nurseries;
 Issuing and revoking licences for community residences and
nurseries;
 Supporting the youth justice system; and
 Providing assistance to the Counter-Trafficking Unit in
respect of child victims.
So even as we are ensuring that the necessary measures are put
in place quickly, we are pursuing the infrastructure and
accommodation side simultaneously.
All that can be done, is being done, I assure you!
THE FAMILY
On another very important front, we are also working to restore
the high premium placed on strong family life and values.
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9. You may know that this year, we commemorate the 20th
anniversary of the International Year of the Family with a national
year-long programme entitled: “Strengthening Our Families”.
As Patron for the commemoration of the Anniversary, which is
being led by the Ministry of Gender, Youth and Child
Development, my purpose is to restore the importance of
supporting the family and how these efforts are directly linked to
social transformation and human development.
The main objectives of the national programme are to:
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Engender positive family relationships;
Communicate family values, roles and societal expectations;
Strengthen the bonding between family members;
Increase communication, trust, resilience, problem solving
and conflict resolution skills within the family;
 Build awareness of current family initiatives and to foster the
development of strategies to address gaps
 Support a family environment that promotes optimal child
and youth development.
A critical element of this programme will be an expansion of the
National Parenting Policy which will facilitate an ambitious
initiative to deliver support and guidance to those who are
already parents, and those who will soon be.
I highlighted this thrust just last month, when I spoke at the
UNFPA Conference on reducing adolescent pregnancies, as a way
to finally deliver an environment where children are not denied
their childhood.
THE NATIONAL COMMUNITY
In addition to the specialized and focused measures which the
Government is pursuing, I must repeat that the safety and
wellbeing of our children are also the responsibility of each and
every man and woman of Trinidad & Tobago.
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10. In the Task Force’s report, a number of deeply disturbing
statistics were presented:
 Between 2007 and 2012 sexual offences and robberies were
by far the most frequent types of crimes committed against
children;
 Sexual offences and robberies accounted for approximately
84 per cent of the crimes committed against children at 42
per cent each;
 Children make up 25 percent of our population
What this means is that as we ask children to break the silence
on the horror of abuse, we, as adults, must also be willing speak
up and act quickly in their defense.
Such a responsibility involves you calling the police if you have
solid grounds to believe that a child or children might be at risk.
Or cooperating with State services which investigate, monitor and
review homes and institutions where children are cared for.
Or finding the time to assist, in whatever way you can, the
community and non-Governmental organisations that seek the
best interest of children. Whether it is by contributions, by
volunteering or even by participating in their programmes.
CONCLUSION
If the silence is to be broken on child abuse, we are the ones who
must be the first to speak up and speak loudly.
From the moment children are born, they depend on us for their
wellbeing.
The trust of a child is the purest and most innocent form of trust
that we can conceive of. A child that looks to us for protection
believes in us, and holds no doubt that we will keep them safe
and help them become who they want to be.
Such trust reminds me of one the most inspired passages I’ve
ever read on children, by Khalil Gibran who once said:
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11. “You may give them your love but not your thoughts, for they
have their own thoughts.
You may house their bodies but not their souls, for their souls
dwell in the house of tomorrow, which you cannot visit, not even
in your dreams.
You may strive to be like them, but seek not to make them like
you…”
Today, I add to that inspired passage when I say that…thoughts
you may not be able to give to your children, but your voice can
surely be the beacon of their safety.
Ladies and gentlemen, to save our children, we must break the
silence! Here, today, now…we must break the silence.
May God Bless you all. I thank you…
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