‘We will be relentless’ – Dr Persaud vows action against child abuse

Minister of Human Services and Social Security, Dr Vindhya Persaud, on Wednesday warned that the authorities will be relentless in pursuing all cases of child abuse, stressing that protecting children requires accountability and collective action.

“We can understand what child neglect is, we can understand that it is at the top of the list when we catalogue cases of child abuse in our country and we must understand that the first persons who perpetrate this are usually the care givers,” Dr Persaud said.

Speaking at the National Early Childhood Development Conference, Dr Persaud said child neglect remains the most common form of child abuse in Guyana.

In fact, she noted that those responsible are often the very people entrusted with a child’s care.

Dr Persaud reminded the public that the Child Protection Act provides for the prosecution of child abuse cases and said authorities will not hesitate to act.

“I want to say that the Child Protection Act provides for prosecution in all cases of child abuse and I also want to say we will be relentless.

I say this because if we are to build a safe and secure environment for every child we have to be relentless,” Dr Persaud said.

She also urged members of the public to play an active role in safeguarding children, noting that child abuse is a reportable offence.

“It is a reportable offence and sometimes when we look at what is happening out there and we see these instances we always try to say who is to blame. I want us to say how can we help,” she urged.