Child abuse our Independence shame

Gloria Meredith, Contributor

FOR OVER 19 years, I have been crying out in the wilderness, like John the Baptist, asking that the authorities do more for our children. "Oh no, who is she?" they asked. I was cursed, threatened, and insulted by persons in charge of care and protection on the pretext that they held the sole responsibility for decision making.

I begged community members to call me, after which I would make a report to the authorities. A few children were investigated and nothing more was done. To this day, there are child molesters who were never arrested, nor even questioned. Some of those children, still in their teens, are now parents with two to three children with no father to support them.

My interest in children started big time in 1998 when I heard what sounded like a baby arguing at my gate with another baby for her pmoney. Upon investigating, I saw two little girls ages eight and nine - so innocent. I called them and asked what the quarrelling was all about? The youngest responded by saying they had sex with a man across the road and he gave them $5.00 for both of them.

I took these girls in my home and called the relevant agencies. The party, who identified himself as being in charge, told me I should put back the girls on the street as I could be charged for kidnapping. I told him to come early Monday and I would get media to witness their removal.

Disappointing authorities

He never showed up. I kept the girls for a while, found their parents, and assisted with school uniform, books, food and then an income-generating activity to help their children. I found out that the youngest was already infected with AIDS.

I am still assisting other children. I will still take them in until the authorities come for me, but I have to save our children, even if nobody else will. This is nothing new, but I am glad somebody else brought it to light and I hope the Government will borrow money from some international organisation to build prisons for sex offenders, and mothers who know what is happening and turn their backs instead of finding work and/or getting assistance to support their children.

With regards to a sex offender registry, I hope this is put in place soon enough, and a law to protect those who might want to become a vigilante to sex offenders. I am sure the Government wants to have people to govern, so it would be in their best interest to take care of their children so as not to have a country full of teenagers and adults suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder.

I have sent letters to prime ministers the Most Honourable P.J. Patterson, Portia Simpson Miller and Bruce Golding, except Mr Andrew Holness. So, I don't want to hear them now just because it's been brought to the attention of the media by Dr Knight. We should be ashamed of ourselves, talking about 50 years of Independence!

Before we move away from England, we need to ask them for assistance with regards to our children. People, please stop pretending as if we did not know. We are nothing but hypocrites. Is it because these children are the least in society? No, because it occurs in all strata of society, but at a higher rate in persons who fall in the lower socio-economic strata.

UNICEF has helped with the children that receive assistance from Children of Faith for the last seven years, but we still have a long way to go. The only way we can become effective is when the situation is addressed, and not swept under the carpet.

People, please stop pretending as if we did not know. We are nothing but hypocrites. ... The only way we can become effective is when the situation is addressed, and not swept under the carpet.