Basseterre, St. Kitts, November 30, 2020 (SKNIS): The Department of Gender Affairs in St. Kitts continues to work closely with vulnerable groups to ensure that their rights are protected, and to advocate for related matters.
“We work closely with Special Victims Unit very closely because most of the times… at the end of it all we are looking for justice,” said Mrs. Shinnel Charles, Senior Gender Officer within the Department of Gender Affairs, during her November 25 appearance on ‘Working for You.’ “We work along with Social Development because these are the persons who go out to the communities and look after the elders.”
The Ministry of Social Development provides services to vulnerable populations including the elderly.
Mrs. Patricia Richards-Leader, Chief Executive Officer at the Grange Healthcare Facility, enquired if the department would consider having a register of caregivers.
“We need to know about police records, we need to know that they are trained, how to deal with the elderly and of course that is very important,” Mrs. Charles responded.
The department also works along with the Legal Aid Centre, a unit within the Ministry of Justice and Legal Affairs. The Legal Aid Centre caters to persons working for minimum wage and/or the elderly needing advice, assistance or representation in legal matters. For example, Mrs. Charles said migrant women who are facing challenges can utilize the services of the Legal Aid Centre.
Mrs. Charles also spoke to the relationship between the Department of Gender Affairs and Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs).
“The department also works along with the NGOs and faith-based organizations. There are many churches around the island that we have worked with where we have gotten shelter, clothes, and they have even gotten money,” she said.
Another important department is the Department of Probation and Child Protection Services. Mrs. Charles used migrant women, for example, noting that if they are here with a child or children and need assistance they can always reach out to that department. Of course, the services extend to every person who requires help and not just migrant women, she said.
She encouraged persons to reach out to the Department of Gender Affairs on Victoria Road in Basseterre if they require assistance or information. Persons can also visit the department’s Facebook page-Department of Gender Affairs-St. Kitts or call 869-467-1397.
]]>Basseterre, St. Kitts, November 19, 2020 (SKNIS): St. Kitts and Nevis is commemorating two international observances that highlight the need to protect and raise children in a safe environment.
Today, Thursday, November 19, 2020, is the World Day for the Prevention of Child Abuse while tomorrow, Friday, November 20, is World Children’s Day.
According to apa.org, the World Day for the Prevention of Child Abuse was launched in 2000 by the Women’s World Summit Foundation. The website un.org, notes that the World Children’s Day observance was first celebrated on November 20, 1954, as Universal Children’s Day. Five years later in 1959, the United Nations General Assembly adopted the Declaration of the Rights of the Child on November 20. The day also marked the adoption of the Convention on the Rights of the Child in 1989.
Staff from the Department of Probation and Child Protection Services appeared on the radio and television programme Working for You on Wednesday (November 18) to highlight the need to safeguard the well-being of children.
Gerald Connor, Acting Director of the Department of Probation and Child Protection Services said that St. Kitts and Nevis was the first OECS (Organization Eastern Caribbean States) member state to sign the UN’s Convention on the Rights of the Child in 1989. He said that the country’s record of child welfare is commendable.
“We have led the way in the charge when it comes to protecting children, putting frameworks and facilities in place … as we go about doing what we have to do in the department,” Mr Connor said.
Naren Maynard, Supervisor for Probation, highlighted that children do have rights too as enshrined in the Convention of the Rights of the Child. The Convention features 54 Articles including the right to life; freedom of expression; education; freedom of association; protection of the law and others.
“It is very important for us to teach our children these rights,” Mr Maynard stated. “We want parents to be mindful of that. Children do have rights; they are humans just like we as adults and we need to know these rights and respect these rights.”
The Convention on the Rights of the Child can be accessed at www.unicef.org/child-rights-convention.
]]>Basseterre, St. Kitts, November 18, 2020 (SKNIS): The Foster Care Programme in St. Kitts is going to be reformed to expand its services and enhance the environment of safety and security for children under its purview.
Foster Care is a system whereby adults provide for the care of a child or children on a temporary basis when their birth parents are unable to care for them. The topic was part of the discussion on Tuesday’s (November 18, 2020) edition of the radio and television programme Working for You.
Gerald Connor, Acting Director of the Department of Probation and Child Protection Services, shared that the Foster Care Programme is very important to the department as it “ensures that our children have a loving and caring environment to live in.”
“We will be going on a campaign very shortly, to see how we can build our Foster Care Programme,’’ he said, noting that there are approximately 40 foster homes. More than 30 of these homes are currently being used to care for foster children.
“We will be doing a drive to recruit foster parents and it is not just coming and signing up, but we do extensive background checks, we do medical checks, and you have to present certain documents before you can [be approved],” Mr. Connor added.
Successful applicants will then be exposed to new training courses in various areas relating to childcare in order to become duly certified.
“… You will have to go through certain training that will be specialized and tailored to ensure that when you do officially become a foster parent that you [will] have the tools necessary to deal with children that are placed in your care,” Acting Director Connor indicated.
The Foster Care Programme will also be rebranded The National Foster Care Programme to reflect the new energies to transform the service.
]]>