BASSETERRE, St. Kitts - THE Ministry of Social Development is focusing on this year end to present its draft legislation before the National Assembly for penalties against parents and guardians who accept bribes to not give evidence against individuals charged for sexually assaulting minors in their care.
In an exclusive interview with SKNVibes on Saturday (Feb. 13), Junior Minister the Hon. Wendy Phipps stated that it is not easy drafting legislations involving minors because a number of laws pertaining to children would have to be taken into consideration.
“I would want to see us make some serious moves in terms of a first draft by the end of the year but, of course, pieces of legislation don’t suddenly get to parliament that way. It takes place after broad based consultations with stakeholders. It takes place after examining best practices regionally and internationally, especially since we are speaking about issues pertinent to the interest and protection of children.
“It would mean that we would also be guided by the United Nations Convention especially those embodied under the UNICEF, which is the United Nations organ that is responsible for the protection of children.”
Late last year, while a guest on the Government’s weekly radio programme ‘Working for You’, Phipps indicated that there are too many parents in the Federation, specifically mothers, who are refusing to turn up in court to give evidence in cases where their child or children were sexually molested.
“What you are finding is that by the time that the virginity and innocence of that child has been lost and there is a case to be pursued out of it, you find that sometimes you show up for trial and the time that you get there, there is no corroboration. The parent might be a no-show or they might have taken money in exchange. And what we really need to get to in terms of my statements as it relates to tougher penalties, is that in spite of whatever deals the parent, whether male or female, might cut with a perpetrator, that should have nothing to do with the case at hand,” the Minister explained.
According to the Minister, once it is discovered that they have colluded with those individuals to escape jail time for a crime on vulnerable children, they should face prosecution as well.
