Anguilla has launched UNICEF’S Annual State of the World’s Children Report for 2015 in the island’s House of Assembly. This took place as the organisation celebrated the 25th Anniversary of its Convention on the rights of children everywhere.
The formal and colourful event on Thursday, November 20, was made even more meaningful to Anguilla by the decision of the Ministry and Department of Social Development to actually involve young children in the programme. Thus, the reigning Anguilla Summer Festival Prince and Princess, Kaeae Rey and Janet Guzman, served as chairpersons for the launch ceremony. In addition, the cultural dance and skit, which softened the formal event for the youngsters, were performed by children involved in the All Ah We Young Theatre Players, and attracted much applause from the audience.
Mr Sanford Richardson, Commissioner of Social Development, saw the launch of the State of the World’s Children Report in Anguilla, incorporating the rights and protection of children, as an historic occasion, which he roundly welcomed. It calls for “innovation emerging out of the experiences and insights of people who are actively working to make the world a better place for every child”.
Governor Christina Scott stressed that children had “a right to life, and to survive and to develop physically, mentally, spiritually, morally, psychologically and socially to their very full potential.” She went on: “Children have the right to express themselves freely on matters that affect them and to have their needs taken seriously. Twenty-five years on, today is a chance to celebrate the progress made for children and to recommit to reaching the needs of children.”
The Governor was confident that the Anguilla Government was committed to meeting the challenge to ensure that the island was in full compliance with the UNESCO Convention and Protocols on safeguarding the rights of children in Anguilla.
Chief Minister, Hubert Hughes, said in part: “We cannot do enough for children. The Ministry of Social Development has been working assiduously in the service of our children. Last November 20 we moved to break the silence against child abuse, following the development of an inter-agency reporting protocol to ensure that all agencies responsible for children work collectively to respond to child abuse and neglect. The Ministry continues to sensitise stakeholders to the importance of following this protocol.”
The Chief Minister assured his listeners that “the Ministry is working towards the development of child protection legislation based on our policy guidelines and the inter-agency protocol.”
He went on: “We saw it particularly useful to reach out to children themselves. With this in mind, the Ministry of Social Development, with support from UNICEF, commissioned the staging of a play entitled Somebody help me please. The play, written by our local playwright, Felix Fleming, highlights some of the methods child sexual abuse offenders use to entrap young victims – and explores actions that children themselves, parents, teachers, other adults and care-givers can take to prevent such abuse.
“All primary school students in grades five and six were invited to the performance and each school was provided with a DVD of the performance. To accompany the DVD, a Work Book was designed, again with assistance from UNICEF, to help raise awareness of child abuse and to teach children how to protect themselves from abuse and, if abused, how they can find help.”
Mr Hughes added that a Domestic Violence Bill was expected to be taken to the House of Assembly by year-end to protect children from abuse.
Mrs Kiesha Gumbs-Bibby, Social Development Planner, who gave a synopsis of the above play, said it was produced on DVD as a teaching and learning tool, along with the companion Work Book, for use by grade four students.
“The overall purpose is to sensitise the public and share awareness on the issue of child abuse and child protection,” she explained, while presenting packages containing the DVD and Work Book to representatives of the schools.
Ms Khin-Sandi Lwin, UNICEF’s Representative for Barbados and the Eastern Caribbean, said the State of the World’s Children Report was launched on the internet rather than on paper. “It is truly a pleasure to be in Anguilla for this annual event, made even more special because we are celebrating the 25th Anniversary of the Convention on the Rights of the Child,” she observed.
The UNICEF official stated that efforts made in Anguilla, in pursuing the fulfilment of children’s rights, had shown much efficiency and effectiveness, and led to the launch of the above report in Anguilla. She thanked Chief Minister Hughes, Governor Scott, Dr Bonnie Richardson Lake and teams in Social Development, Health and Education, for the support given to UNICEF’s Rights of the Child initiatives. “You have done a remarkable job and shown yourself proud,” she added, saying that “political will was at the core of any progress for children.”
A song by Jerome Vanterpool (ranger), Anguilla’s summer festival calypso monarch 2013-2014, highlighting sexual abuse of children, climaxed the launch of the state of the world’s children report.
