A number of instances of child labour and child abuse have been uncovered at the Sad’r Boys Orphanage by the Human Services Ministry which is moving to set up a committee to run the affairs of the institution.
But an executive of the Guyana United Sad’r Islamic Anjuman, which is responsible for the management of the orphanage, located at 157 Thomas Street, Kitty, refutes these assertions and is maintaining that no child of the institution has ever been abused.
Human Services Minister Bibi Shadick told Stabroek News yesterday that investigations have revealed that the institution was not being properly run and that children who live at the institution were being abused and used for labour.
This latest development comes as the acting Chief Executive Officer of the institution and another man stand jointly charged for the murder of a 14-year-old boy, Raheem Abdool who lived in the institution. (See other story on centre pages.) Following the discovery of the boy’s body and the subsequent revelation that he was an orphan belonging to the institution the Ministry launched a probe into the management of the orphanage.
The Minister said that she was not satisfied with the report which had been submitted to her, which she contended left many questions unanswered and she found it necessary to investigate further. Along with officers of the Probation and Welfare Department of her Ministry she personally visited the institution last Thursday. She said it was discovered that several persons were responsible for physically abusing the boys who were also put to work outside of the orphanage.
According to the Minister the institution currently houses 35 children whose ages range from 7-16 years.
Since her visit, the Minister said at least one child has been removed from the orphanage amidst concern for his safety. She said the committee, which would comprise members of the Muslim community - which finances the orphanage - would be responsible for putting proper systems in place to ensure that quality care is given to all the boys who live in the institution.
As to the long-term future of the institution Shadick did not believe it was necessary to shut it down since it does a lot of good things for boys with nowhere to go.
Asked why the housemother was allowed to continue her duties given what was discovered, Shadick said the woman posed no immediate threat to the safety of the children.
When Stabroek News visited the orphanage yesterday a senior executive of the Anjuman, Imam Ishmail Isman Muhammad, denied the Minister’s claims and reiterated that there were no problems with the administration of the institution or the Anjuman, which he distanced from the death of Abdool. He and the housemother also maintained that no children were beaten at the orphanage and that the persons charged were neither employees of the orphanage nor members of the Anjuman. Noting that he had no desire to impede the police investigations, he maintained that whatever transpired leading up to the boy’s death did not occur at the institution.
He rejected a story published in yesterday’s Kaieteur News which suggested that the boy was killed in the orphanage following the disappearance of a large sum of money which had been stored there. He said that no harm came to the boy at the institution and that no such sum of money was stored there. He expressed concern over the story which he said had grave connotations and endangered the lives of the boys.