'Target TV sta. owners & ‘the big ones’ on child abuse' – media reps.
On the other hand Mr Sean D. Rose, a prominent media personality, noted that there are many persons in prominent positions in society guilty of abusing children but are not being taken through the justice system as they should be.
Deputy Secretary, Ministry of Health and Social Development Ms Carolyn Stoutt-Igwe, speaking at the seminar, said that child protection is everybody’s business and with the rising number of various forms of child abuse especially child sexual abuse steps are needed to curb this.
According to Mr Smith while there has been much touted about the various forms of child abuse, there has not been anything said about cause determinants. “I have been hearing a lot about assessments of child abuses and statistics and data on child abuse, some of the things that are being done, some of the public efforts but I haven’t heard a lot about cause determinants…. If we don’t know what is causing child abuse, we would be just developing industries around the symptoms as opposed to addressing the cause… I am concerned about that,” he said.
While Mrs Stoutt-Igwe noted that one of the underlying cause for abuse of children may be poverty the overarching questions for the prevalence of the ‘tabooed’ sexual abuse have many causes and it was there that Mr Smith was keen to point out some of the child inappropriate TV programmes that are on the airwaves at the worst possible times.
“I am looking to know if we are going to engage in a scientific discovery process, to look deeper into the cultural aspects of the society,” added Mr Smith noting that in the Virgin Islands persons have adapted to a culture.
“We look at a daily basis in the affair of national media which feel that sexuality is a right by any standard and now you see open homosexual sex on daytime television, on primetime television. You see even heated attempts to heighten sexuality, keep sexuality in front of the minds of the population.”
“Yes transactional sex is an issue because of poverty but at a deeper spiritual level… and I think that our government and perhaps governments regionally may need to start taking a deeper look at the causes. It might be that we might have to block certain television programmes to pay attention to what’s being fed into the minds of the population,” he added.
Mr Rose was keen on noting that largely the media owners are the ones who dictate content across the Caribbean. “We have allowed the cartels and the other people who are not necessarily positive influences to determine the pop culture in terms of music in the Caribbean,” noted Mr Rose.
“You can’t get a better sexual education from most of the songs and having said that you are going to be exposed to sex anyway but ultimately what is the reporting trend, culture and how effective have you been in arresting or bringing people to justice people who have been found guilty regardless of their status in society?” he asked.
He said that there have been reports of politicians and people in the medical field, law fraternity, “You name it, who have been accused and it takes a lot of effort on the part of the authorities it seems to bring these people to justice.” He said that there have been a few cases but for the most part there is a serious double standard.
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12 Responses to “'Target TV sta. owners & ‘the big ones’ on child abuse' – media reps.”
So the question is what do we do about a situation we acknowledge is present in our families. First, based on the idea of the confession box of the Catholic Church, anonymity is required. Let us set up a hotline in which anyone may call and report an issue of sexual misconduct or simply a belief of sexual abuse without the need to disclose one's identity. Each such call MUST by law be investigated. That would be done with the police and social services or as a discrete agency set up solely for that purpose. Child sexual abuse should carry mandatory prison incarceration - irrespective of one's position or social class in addition to financial penalties. Then there is the incidence of children being kept in social isolation - being hidden away from prying eyes. The bottom line is that it becomes everyone's business to be concerned about this malady of our society. This is a good topic that needs further discussion and the good thing about this is that it has nothing to do with politics.
Child abuse must be everybody's concern whether or not you have children.
We must highlight who commits these acts of child abuse. Mostly parents and close relatives
and friends merely strangers. More heartbreaking when it's a parent.
You the parent who are guilty; stop abusing your children.
How can you the father see your daughter as your wife?
How can you the mother sleep with the man who you know abuses your child?
How can a father see his son as a lover?
God is not pleased.
And we wonder why the statistics of rebellious, suicidal and dysfunctional children rises.
I pray for those who are or have been abused. God will judge these monsters.
Now there is an example of talk show man doublespeak