Two years ago the Youth Enhancement Services began a nationwide campaign to inform and equip youth workers on sexual abuse and exploitation. Since then, the reports of hideous sexual crimes, particularly against children, have increased, and it's gotten so bad, that many times, the community can no longer recognize or reconcile the monsters in its midst. That's why today's workshop in Belize City seemed so timely. It was all about recognizing the warning signs of sexual abuse and engaging the sexually abused child. It targeted schoolteachers and we found out why this focus group is very important.
Alfonso Noble Reporting,
As part of the Youth Enhancement Services campaign against sexual abuse and exploitation teachers and other community oriented individuals gathered at the St. John's Credit Union to equip themselves with the tools that will that will help them to spot suspected cases of sexual abuse in children.
Karen Cain, Director - YES
"This workshop is geared towards teachers, those who work with children on a whole, to give them the skills necessary to identify when children are being abused and how to help them."
Jennifer Lovell, Facilitator
"I'm teaching them about what is sexual abuse, how to identify the signs and symptoms of a child who has been sexually abused, and how to engage that child, how to talk with the child because teachers are the frontline people who would be able to identify a child because a child comes to school. And so if the teacher can recognize that the child is having problems then that teacher can engage the child and refer to Human Development or refer to a counselor or the police as is necessary.
What I am doing with the teachers right now is explaining to them that children, normally, will have normal sex play. We don't need to be scandalized and judge a child but we also need to differentiate when its not normal sex play and it has crossed over into a sexual molestation or rape or something else, incest. And so pretty much I am setting the stage for the teachers to be able to see what is going on and what has crossed the line into breaking the law.
If it is incest, if it is happening in the home, the parents aren't going
to come and take the child to the police so it has to be that someone outside the home, a trusted adult, a teacher (who) recognizes and takes responsibility for helping that child and for reporting. And so we want teachers to have the information."
One such teacher is the principal of St. Martin's de Porres school Rosela Sinclair. She says that being at her school she often encounters cases which she simply is too afraid to begin to handle.
Rosela Sinclair, Principal - St. Martin's de Porres School
"Many times children come into the office with cases like of being abused and well sometimes I have problems dealing with it and being here, I will be able to get information and know how to deal with it. I sometimes feel afraid to deal with it but being here, I think I'll be able to overcome that fear because I'll know exactly what to do and using the right procedures."
Joyce Flowers who is also attending the workshop is not a teacher but she says that because of her community involvement, being able to attend and getting the information is important.
Joyce Flowers,
"I work with youths and adults and with everybody and I think that if I want to do that, I need to have the basic knowledge of what's going on and in particular when it comes to abuse with youths. Even in my neighborhood I see children being abused but I need to get an understanding before I can help with the situation. It is based on identifying abused children and how we can deal with the situation. And unless we get some knowledge of it and work with other people, because I cannot do it alone, so I need to get in contact with people who feel the same way that I does, in doing something about it."
In the end, that is all YES is asking for: that people in the community become sensitized and more aware of the problem of sexual abuse.
Karen Cain,
"People out there right not now might not have all the skills and partake in this workshop will be able to recognize the signs because children act out in different ways and if you have a keen person you will be able to recognize them and do the necessary reporting. All of these people taking this workshop are mandatory reporters and for them now to get the skills to recognize the signs and the symptoms that these children will be displaying, if they are being abused, I think they will be equipped to fully report these cases to the Human Development Department or to the police."
Statistics gathered by YES show that the number of cases of sexual abuse and exploitation declined to 289 in 2005, from a high of 335 in 2004. Of those combined 624 cases, 63 have gone to the Supreme Court, there have been 17 convictions, 14 found not guilty, and 2 hung juries. 31 of the cases could not be prosecuted.
