The 13-year-old SOE detainee is still at the New Beginnings Youth Development Center, along with another 15-year-old who was in Wagner's Youth Facility with him.
The move came after much public scrutiny, despite the Commissioner standing by the decision to lock up the minor for 30 days. But Ministers like Francis Fonseca and organizations like UNICEF have disagreed with him. And today, the Minister of Human Development explained that the child's age should have been the main factor, not his behavior. However, she added that it's a balance, which will only be made more difficult if charges are levied on the child. Here's how she put it.
Dolores Balderamos Garcia, Minister of Human Development
"I did say to Cabinet colleagues that I felt that it was balance that we had to achieve. Now the fact that the child is 13, really I agree wholeheartedly that that should trump going into any prison facility however when it first came to my attention from Minister Kareem Musa, we felt that some level of investigation should have taken place as to what is going on in the child's life so it may have take a little bit long but I believe that it was good to make the investigation before moving the child. The child is now at the New Beginnings Youth Development Center but I can tell you that there were some serious difficulties there. Now the Commissioner of Police doesn't speak for the Ministry of Human Development and basically we are coming down on the side of the protection of children so a 15 year old and a 13 year old were moved to the New Beginnings Youth Development Center but my understanding is that there may be some charges laid against the 13 year old so again it's a different balancing act but we think that like Minister Fonseca said, we come down on the side of the protection of anybody under 18."
Courtney Menzies:
"In the event the 13 year old is charged and conviction does he go back to Wagner's?"
Dolores Balderamos Garcia, Minister of Human Development
"Well there again, we have to look at all the circumstances because one of the challenges that we have in our country is that the New Beginnings Youth Development Center is different kinds of children, children who have been abused, children who, in the past have uncontrollable behavior, which we don't believe in that kind of thing anymore because really if there is dysfunction in the family then it will spill over to the children but the New Beginnings houses many kinds of children, migrant children, again children who have been abused, children who have come in conflict with the law because you may have a child who has maybe committed a theft or maybe done something out of the way and it's difficult but we don't want to exposed maybe the abused children, we don't want to expose them to further criminal activity so it's a difficult balancing act and I have asked our director of the Community Rehabilitation Department to carry out very close monitoring of what will happen with the 13 year old and the 15 year old."
The commissioner said the child would be criminally charged with threat of death and aggravated assault.
