PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad, CMC -The Children’s Authority of Trinidad and Tobago (CATT) has dismissed allegations by opposition legislators that two teenage girls had become pregnant while living at children’s homes.
“The Children’s Authority of Trinidad and Tobago notes recent concerns within the public domain about children residing at children’s homes who are pregnant. The authority wishes to advise the public that two children’s homes are designated explicitly for pregnant teens.
“It must be noted that the children were already pregnant when they were brought to the attention of the authority for placement, and the relevant police reports were made at that time,” the CATT said in a statement.
Opposition United National Congress (UNC) legislator, Barry Padarath, speaking at a public meeting of the party on Monday night, accused Gender and Child Affairs Minister Ayanna Webster-Roy of being clueless and callous regarding the circumstances surrounding the pregnancies.
Padarath said whether, by design or ignorance, the minister needs to level with the population about what is still happening at these homes.
Opposition Senator, and UNC deputy leader, Jearlean John said she was demanding answers on behalf of the family of a 15-year-old girl in a south Trinidad children’s residence who became pregnant despite having never left that facility.
She said she spoke in Tuesday’s Senate debate on the Mid-Year Review. At the same time, extra funds for child care, including an internal security department to oversee care residents, might sound good on paper. Still, the Children’s Authority and its associated agencies have suffered chronic staff shortages, mainly due to an inability to be attractive to potential employees.
“So, notwithstanding the Sabga Report (and) the Justice Jones Report and the attendant public outrage, these vulnerable children remain at the mercy of predators who are being paid state salaries. Maybe they are there, and people don’t even suspect these people are predators,” John said.
But in its statement, the CATT said that “over the past eight years since the operationalization of the authority, there have been two instances of girls who became pregnant while they were residents of children’s homes.
“During the authority’s investigation, it was determined that no staff member of the homes was responsible for the girls becoming pregnant. As is customary, the matters were reported to the police, who are conducting their investigation,” the CATT said, adding that it does not manage the operations of children’s homes as the board of each residential facility runs these homes.
“The Authority, however, through its licensing and monitoring department, is responsible for the conduct of regular announced and unannounced monitoring visits at all children’s homes to ensure that they provide for the safety, security, and welfare of the children in their care.”
It said child protection is everybody’s business and that any suspicions of child abuse should be reported to its hotline at 996 or to the police at 999.
“The Authority notes that placing children in institutional care is a last resort, and it is working with partners in the child protection sector to strengthen family and community interventions, to limit the number of children who are received into care.”
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