MANDEVILLE, Manchester — Custos of Manchester Garfield Green is reminding parents and guardians to be vigilant in observing changes in behaviour among children, while at the same time reiterating the need for background checks and monitoring of those trusted to cater to children.

“Parents and guardians need to be more aware of the change in behaviour and to speak directly to the children, that they must be careful of whom they are trusting. Do not place trust in people you don’t know. Sometimes they [children] place their trust in the right place, because if they trust their pastor or they trust their teacher, they do not expect them to break that trust,” he told the Jamaica Observer on Tuesday.

Green’s comments follows the arrest and charge of a Manchester primary school teacher for the alleged rape, grievous sexual assault and obscene publication involving an 11-year-old girl.

A police report on Tuesday said the educator, Miguel Griffiths, 29, otherwise called Spoon, was charged by detectives assigned to the Centre for the Investigation of Sexual Offences and Child Abuse (CISOCA) following incidents that occurred between December 2021 and June 2022.

Griffiths is accused of sending photographs and videos of his genitals to the primary school student.

Police said he later met with the child in Newport District, Manchester, where he is accused of sexually assaulting and raping her. A report was made to the police and an investigation launched. Griffiths was pointed out to the police and subsequently charged.

Green condemned the abuse of children and is encouraging children to report the culprits.

“Children are innocent, children need to be guided in the best way possible. And I strongly believe that children must grow as children — they don’t need to have the experience that adults have at their tender age,” he said.

“Parents need to be more careful, they need to be more observant because children are influenced from many angles — the Internet, at school, people on the road who are reaching out to young girls, and maybe young boys to some extent,” he cautioned.

“However, when things happen I would encourage children to speak up, report it to someone in authority. Speak to your parents. If that fails, speak to your guidance counsellors at school, speak to a pastor, speak to the police,” Green advised.

He said paedophiles lure and drive fear in children.

“Sometimes these people, when they are abusing the children they do so with threat… or they give them sweet things to entice them,” he informed.

He added that background checks on those trusted to protect and care for children are necessary.

“We have to put something in place to monitor their behaviour too… When you hurt a child, that is a hurt for life. That child is going to have moments of regret, nightmares; that child is not going to be happy, maybe grow up being angry because the persons who were there to protect him or her didn’t do it,” Green said.