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Community Last Updated: May 25, 2018 - 11:42:04 AM


Rights Bahamas: We must protect our children
May 25, 2018 - 10:27:37 AM

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Rights Bahamas has questioned whether the country's law enforcement is doing everything in its power to protect the well-being of minors after a senior official refused to reconise a clear case of child abuse.

The video, which was widely circulated on social media, showed a young girl being hit with a belt, kicked and punched in the head by an unknown woman. Not long after the footage went viral, separate allegations of two young girls being sexually assaulted nearly month ago surfaced.

“It is heartbreaking, not only see a child treated this way on video, but also to hear that officials refused to call it  what it is,” said Stephanie St. Fleur, president of Rights Bahamas.

“It is also baffling that the Police failed to inform the public about a possible child predator on the streets. Our children are among the most vulnerable members of society and we expect law enforcement to go above and beyond, both to warn society of potential threats against minors, and to recognise and thoroughly investigate all cases in which they are abused.

Her remarks come after, Marvin Dames, Minister of National Security, refused to label the social media video as abuse out fear of making any police investigation “prejudiced.”

But, St. Fleur asks: “If we cannot label a child receiving 40 blows to different parts of her body by a grown adult  abuse, then how can we raise awareness about such terrible practices? How can we teach our children right from wrong?”

Facebook added a label to the video which read: “May show violence against a child or teenager. We haven’t removed it from Facebook because it may help rescue the child in question.”

Article 19 of the Convention on the Rights of the Child reads: “State Parties shall take all appropriate legislative, administrative, social and educational measures to protect the child from all forms of physical or mental violence, injury or abuse, neglect or negligent treatment, maltreatment or exploitation, including sexual abuse, while in the care of parent(s), legal guardian(s) or any other person who has the care of the child.”

Article 34 also reads: “States Parties undertake to protect the child from all forms of sexual exploitation and sexual abuse.”

The Bahamas ratified the treaty in 1990, but Joseph Darville, vice-president of Rights Bahamas, questions whether simple ratification is enough without a corresponding legal framework as well as cultural integration of basic principles.

“It’s time we not only hold our politicians accountable,” said Darville. “But, also our law enforcers. First, we see a young girl being battered but the elected minister in charge of protecting the public refuses to acknowledge its abusive nature.

“Then, we have eight-year-old assaulted without police warning parents of the community of the possible threat – only for it to happen again to a 12-year-old? It’s ridiculous, especially considering that we made an international promise, nearly three decades ago, to protect children in this country.”

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