Deputy Prime Minister: No devil in vaccines

The devil is not in vaccines given to children here.

This is the message that is being driven home to parents, says Girlyn Miguel, Deputy Prime Minister of St.Vincent and the Grenadines.{{more}}

Miguel expressed those sentiments while delivering remarks on Tuesday, March 29, 2011, at the Peace Memorial Hall to mark the launch of Child Abuse Awareness and Prevention Month, which runs from April 1-30. Her comments come in the wake of public views made by some persons in the society against vaccinating children.

“We are trying our very best to let them understand that there are outside influences and that when the vaccinations are to be given it is no devil that is given to them,” says Miguel.

The Deputy Prime Minister stated that there were fewer physically and mentally disabled children now than there were long ago,” said Miguel.

She encouraged parents to discern that which is right from wrong.

Miguel said she has a responsibility to look after the nation’s children and work in unison with the relevant stakeholders to make a better life for all children.

“I wish that we had more Joshuas of today, who would say, ‘As for me and my house, that the men would rise up and hold the hands of mothers.’ Indeed, some of our mothers are child bearers and not child rearers,” said Miguel.

She said this is one of the reasons why children in St.Vincent and the Grenadines are abused.

This year’s Child Abuse Awareness and Prevention Month is being held under the theme: “Inspiring Families Through Positive Changes for a Better Society”.

Rosita Snagg, Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of National Mobilisation, under whose portfolio Family Affairs falls, said that her Ministry is pleased that it can continue the fight against the perpetrators “of the wicked crime of child abuse in all of its forms.”

She told the gathering that the Ministry cannot fight the scourges of child abuse without the help of the public, the Ministries of Education and Health, the churches, the National Society of Persons with Disabilities, Roving Care Givers, the police and other stakeholders.

“If we can ensure that our children are safe, we can ensure that we will have a sound nation and that our children will take over from us and be good citizens,” said Snagg.

Cammie Matthews, Director of the Family Services Division, said all hands are needed on deck to combat the “monster” called child abuse.

“We want to appeal to you. we want to appeal to this nation that we really need to do everything possible. we need to become more aggressively involved in ensuring that child abuse is completely obliterated… is wiped out,” said Matthews.

“I am not going to say minimise. I believe it is something that can be stopped and must be stopped if we are going to save our nation’s children,” Matthews added.