CHILD Protection and Family Services Agency (CPFSA) said Monday it was trying to reach out to the 14-year-old boy who was allegedly beaten by a 42-year-old security guard at a bus stop in St Andrew.

The agency said it wanted to ensure the teen’s well-being and offer the necessary interventions he and his family may need. The incident allegedly took place on Thursday, January 25, and the man has since been charged with assault occasioning bodily harm and malicious destruction of property.

“We are in the process of reaching out to the boy and his family to ascertain the level of psychological, psychosocial, and any other forms of intervention that he will need. We will do everything in our power to help him heal from this ordeal,” said CEO of CPFSA Laurette Adams-Thomas.

“The CPFSA and our parent ministry, the Ministry of Education and Youth, continues to staunchly condemn all forms of child abuse. We are reminding adults that you need to be the voice of reason when you are dealing with children, especially during times of conflict. Children live what they learn so it is important that we find alternative and more positive ways of approaching them. We cannot meet them with violence and expect them to grow into adults that can peacefully resolve conflict,” she continued.

Adams-Thomas further sought to remind and encourage persons to report any and all forms of child abuse using the 24-hour child abuse reporting hotline 211. She also said child abuse reports may be made through
WhatsApp/text at 876-878-2882, via e-mail at report@childprotection.gov.jm, by visiting any CPFSA parish office, or through social media pages ( Instagram,Facebook, Twitter) @cpfsajm.