Children’s Advocate Diahann Gordon Harrison has voiced concerns about the wave of child welfare and neglect sweeping the island in the wake of a viral video making the rounds on social media that showed two ladies in a heated physical altercation, one of whom threw a toddler in her care on the ground in a cavalier, almost cruel manner.

“We need to confirm the location of the incident and the identity of the parties involved. And very importantly as well, the matter of intervention concerning the child. Just seeing how the child was dropped in a very distracted and uncaring manner, we don’t know if the child has physical injuries or suffered from head injuries,” Gordon Harrison told Observer Online.

“It begs the questions as to what sort of behaviour and treatment that child is exposed to on a normal continuous basis. That for me is critical, that kind of assessment needs to be done as a matter of urgency,” she added.

When contacted, representatives of the Corporate Communications Unit, said they were still trying to determine if the video was a recent one, as well as the location and identity of the combatants involved.

The Children’s Advocate also remarked on the apparent callousness of the bystanders who did not intervene in the fisticuffs or quell the animosities between the ladies involved. She dubbed that non-action as a species of ‘absent-mindedness’.

“Clearly, there were persons who were present, recording the incident, and having the time to share that video but none of the persons who were bystanders had the presence of mind to even take the child or to shout at the individuals involved to calm down and remember that you’re holding a child. For me, that represents a kind of absent-mindedness, and that’s disheartening,” she said.

Meanwhile, social media users have reacted with shock and disgust at the incident.

“This pisses me off. How can a human be so wicked to her child. Wait girl karma will return,” one person write in response to the video.

Another person added, “How can I unsee this smh (shake my head), the big (expletive) wicked gyal fling dung the baby… all the gyal a fight har and see har wid the baby, smh.”

Annually, the Agency’s National Children’s Registry (NCR) receives roughly 12,000 reports of child abuse in all forms, which are dealt with in the best interest of children in need of care and protection.

However, in 2022, a total of 15,068 reports of child abuse were brought to the attention of the Agency, which is the highest ever recorded over 10 years.