Night Shelter services extended
Guyana Chronicle
December 31, 2006
THE services of the Night Shelter in La Penitence, Greater Georgetown, which is being run by the Ministry of Labour, Human Services and Social Security, have been extended to 24 hours to accommodate more persons.
Minister of Labour, Human Services and Social Security, Ms. Priya Manickchand, at an end-of-year press conference Friday at her Georgetown ministry, said the change took place in October this year.
There, persons are given a place to stay, meals and they receive counselling, the minister said.
Highlighting other positives by the ministry for the year, she pointed to work done by the documentation centre which included publishing a booklet on domestic violence, a quiz booklet on women pioneers, a booklet on women trade unionists, and four publications of the Women Power newsletter.
She also made mention of the Mahaica Children’s home which was refurbished.
From the Women’s Affairs Bureau (WAB) some 400 persons were trained in 13 capacity building programmes throughout the ten administrative regions, Manickchand reported.
She said these training programmes were assisted by the United Nations (UN) and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF).
The minister said 590 persons were counselled, 300 women groups established and sewing groups in hinterland areas received equipment from the WAB.
Manickchand assured that from 2007, the bureau will be more proactive in its campaign, especially in combating violence against women.
More than 30,000 persons living in difficult circumstances received assistance from the ministry in the form of paying for funeral expenses, flood relief, paying utility bills, providing wheel chairs and fire relief, she said.
More than 30,000 children have also benefited from the uniform distribution.
She revealed that since the Child Protection Unit was established, 114 child protection cases have been recorded.
However, she pointed out, those successes did not come without challenges which included the lack of human resources, and irresponsible media reporting which she described as an “irritant”.
Manickchand said that when the names of children are put in the public domain or their situations are described and names withheld, the children are stigmatised and suffer further as a result.
Chief Probation and Welfare Officer, Mrs. Patricia Grey, added that when their methods of interventions are highlighted in the media, this puts a damper on what the ministry intends to do.
Special activities convened by the ministry included Child Protection Week, and Month of the Elderly.
Manickchand said her ministry is committed to working with the Guyana Police Force (GPF) and the Magistrates Courts to ensure that more Trafficking in Persons (TIP) cases are taken to prosecution level.
She pointed out that for the year, there were 22 reports, all of which were referred to the GPF but none concluded in prosecution.
Manickchand stressed that her ministry is not pressing for conviction, but just completion of the cases which are important for Guyana to move up in ranking on the United States State Department TIP reports.
“For us to move up the tier we have to get prosecution,” the minister stated.
She said that matters facing the Police Force and judiciary are recognised and the ministry is willing to collaborate.
According to the minister, when cases take as long as nine months before they are heard, victims sometimes become reluctant to testify and witnesses cannot be found.
Head of the TIP unit, Mr. Javed Shadick, said all 22 cases were reports made to the ministry and this is a sign that persons are paying attention to the public awareness messages being spread across Guyana.
He said members of the unit will continue to go out into various communities including those most vulnerable, such as mining and forestry, to teach people what to look for and what can be done to prevent them from becoming victims.
Describing her brief stint since she was appointed minister after the August 28 elections this year, Manickchand said she has enjoyed the experience of serving and looks forward to the New Year. (SHAWNEL CUDJOE)