Family Affairs Division calls for National Child Abuse Register

The Family Affairs Division is seeking to establish a National Child Abuse Register.

Cammie Matthews, the Director of the Family Services Division, explained that a central point for storing information will help the various organizations and stakeholders to better understand the magnitude of the social ills affecting the nation.{{more}}

He told SEARCHLIGHT his division is hoping that this can be put place as soon as it can complete the process of the Child Abuse Protocal and Reporting Guidelines which is being fine tuned by UNICEF.

The document strongly recommends that the Ministry of National Mobilization and the Family Affairs Division have one central point where reports of incidents can be documented.

“We are not in any way suggesting that unless you come to the Family Affairs Division that you cannot report. We are saying if by chance you get to the police first, because in some cases you may have to get to the police first or it reaches the attention of the clinic or the hospital, that these agencies, including private agencies, would pass the information on,” said Matthews, noting that the document recommends that the Family Affairs Division be the bank which stores the data.

The information received would also be of great assistance to the policy makers, said Matthews. (HN)