THE Women’s Leadership Initiative (WLI) has added 25 to the number of people it has trained to detect and prevent sexual abuse of children.

The fourth annual Prevention of Child Sexual Abuse workshop, hosted at the Jamaica Pegasus Hotel last Wednesday, saw the entire staff of the Voluntary Organisation for the Upliftment of Children (VOUCH) — teachers at the basic school as well as the nursery and ancillary staff — trained under the theme “Darkness to Light: Stewards of Children” programme.

Eva Lewis, Chairman of the WLI, said that since taking a stand in 2010, “the prevention of child sexual abuse in Jamaica has been one of the WLI’s primary projects”. She noted that “the reported incidents of sexual assault of children have been increasing year after year, and the long-term impact of this type of abuse against children is far-reaching and the impact does not end when the abuse stops”. Mrs Lewis said, “With the high incidence of crime amongst our youth and the increase in homeless children, WLI decided to take an active role to stamp out this heinous crime against our children.”

Darkness to Light-certified trainer and chairman of the WLI Advocacy & Health committee, Lezanne Azan, said that the main mission of the programme is to raise awareness of the prevalence and consequences of child sexual abuse by educating adults about the steps they can take to prevent, recognise and react responsibly to this reality. Its training programmes have been scientifically proven to increase knowledge, improve attitudes and change child-protective behaviours. It incorporates a combination of survivor stories, expert advice, and practical guidance.

Azan said that previous WLI-sponsored workshops have trained personnel from a range of government agencies, NGOs, and educators at basic and infant schools in the vicinity of VOUCH, which has been a project of the WLI since its formation 10 years ago.

This will be the final step in ensuring that they have completed all the necessary requirements to become a Darkness to Light Partner in Prevention. An organisation only receives this special distinction when they have successfully met the following guidelines:

* 90 per cent of employees have completed the training;

* The organisation maintains a record of who has been trained;

* A policy is in place that requires all employees to renew the training at least every three years.

* Background checks are completed for employees prior to, or at the start of, employment.

* The organisation requires (either as part of a child protection policy or in practice) that one adult-one child situations be observable or interruptible.

Lola Fong-Wright, director, talent management, CIBC FirstCaribbean International Bank, which sponsored this year’s WLI training workshop, said that while she would have preferred to be speaking about improved educational opportunities for Jamaica’s children, “child sexual abuse is an unfortunate reality in Jamaica that has to be dealt with”. She congratulated WLI for focusing on teachers since “our children spend an appreciable amount of time with them, and they can be instrumental in helping to stamp out this terrible scourge”.

CEO of the Child Development Agency (CDA) Rosealee Gage-Grey, who was keynote speaker at the workshop, said that the agency has intensified its interventions with families and communities in a bid to ensuring better care for Jamaica’s children.

“In order to stem the time of abuse in the society, we also formally believe that we must engage the community where they are,” she said.

To that end, she said, the CDA has been carrying out a “Circle of Care Town Hall meeting series and sensitisation walk-through in communities all across Jamaica”.

“Child protection must be everybody’s business,” she declared as she thanked the WLI for its work.

“It is only through strong partnerships that we can arrest the worrying trend of child abuse in our society and help in the recovery of our children who have experienced trauma”, the CDA head continued.