BASSETERRE, St. Kitts – THIS year’s theme for Child Month is ‘Act Now! Break the Silence, Stop Child Abuse’ and according to the National Director for Early Childhood Development, Jacqueline Morris, they are hoping that parents/caregivers will come up with different ways of punishment when it comes to disciplining children.
She said that it is amazing that some parents find ways such as depriving their children of food as a means of punishment which is a form of abuse.
“We tell them ‘No’ they cannot do that, you have to feed them; that is a basic need that must be met. We suggest that parents deprive them of other privileges including television, that can be taken away for a period of time; also if the child is accustomed to going to bed at a certain time, what we want to help the child develop is self discipline, and not reaction because of fear; we want them to understand the reason behind their actions and the consequences.
“When their basic needs are met they develop trust in the world around them and with people, which is critical for their wholesome development,” Morris said.
Morris said that throughout the month they will be sensitizing the public on Child Abuse which comes in all forms and that more children are abused than one could imagine.
“What do we do to break the silence? Information is the key; our effort is towards disseminating information to stakeholders including parents,” she said.
Encouraging parents to provide emotional support; loving their children by hugging them and affirming what they do is what they (Early Childhood teachers) are encouraging, according to Morris.
“The ‘I love you’s’; touching is critical; this is one of the ways we want parents to show affirmation and to really show love for the child as well as their basic needs. It takes a while for the child to internalize the positive things we are imparting, but by our actions, by modeling it, talking to them and through them, eventually it will help them.”
The National Director also said that children should also be taught that certain body parts are not to be touched to avoid sexual abuse.
“Children need to talk out and let people know, ‘no I don’t like this’,” she said.
One of their plans along with workshops involving teachers and caregivers is to have some workshops with parents as well.
“This is done so that they can find more positive ways of relating to their children during times of conflict. We also teach conflict resolution because abuse comes in all forms and one child can be abusive to another.”
A month-long programme of activities has been planned to celebrate the month which will climax with the Grand Parade & T-shirt Day on June 29.
Some of the other highlights of the month include a Children’s Fair at the TDC Grounds in St. Kitts from June 13-15, a concert in Nevis on June 14, Inter-Preschool Sports Day in Nevis on June 21 and the Family Food Day on June 22 at Independence Square in St. Kitts.
