Women Working for Social Progress held a Breakfast Seminar on “Violence Against Children, Spousal/Partner Abuse and Elder Abuse” at Crowne Plaza on November 24.

Presenters were Merle Hodge, an author, activist and member of WorkingWomen; Betsy Ann Lambert Peterson, Magistrate of the Family Court; and Dr Jennifer Rouse, Director of the Division of Ageing in the Ministry of Social Development.

The conference proved most informative as many new laws were discussed, including the Elders Act.

Hodge, who spoke on “Violence Against Children”, explained that that title was chosen over “child abuse” because, for many people, the term “child abuse” applied only to the most extreme attacks on children, namely sexual violation, serious physical injury and murder.

“The same action that is seen as domestic violence or assault, when it is committed against an adult, is perfectly acceptable when a child is at the receiving end,” contended Hodge. “Assault against a child is still seen as the right of the adults who have responsibility for the care of that child. Legislation alone will not shift our culture towards the kind of peaceful, democratic relations between adults and children that can produce peaceful, self-disciplined citizens rather than a nation of people beaten from childhood into submission. There is a need for stronger legislation to protect children, not only in school, but also in their homes. Securing the best interest of the children is as important as any other area of national development.”

Hodge also spoke about the new Children’s Authority Act and said implementation of this legislation was of paramount importance, adding that there was a need for widespread education on parenting. She said this education should be as broad as possible as, “in our traditions of family, we are all likely to participate at some time in the care of children in our family network”.

Lambert Peterson, whose presentation dealt with “Spousal/Partner Abuse”, used a story titled “Six blind men and an elephant” to explain her role as Magistrate of the Family Court. She said that as magistrate she was like one of those blind men, only able to grasp part of the problem before her.

Lambert Peterson said that while strides were being made via legislation it was not enough to solve the problem of domestic abuse.

Merle Hodge

Dr Jennifer Rouse

“We need stiffer laws. No matter how heavy legislation is, there need to be real people breathing life into it,” she said, adding that there were many other people whose contributions were necessary in order to combat this social problem. The police service, for example, had a key role in this fight, Lambert Peterson pointed out. She noted that while proclamation and implementation of laws were important, the only way these laws could bring about any change was through enforcement, which was how the police service could contribute to changing “our culture of domestic violence”.

Lambert Peterson told the seminar that only the Magistrates Court currently had authority to deal with matters of domestic abuse but that a lobby was afoot to give the Family Court authority to also deal with incidents of domestic abuse and violence.

Dr Rouse, who holds a double major in Social Work and a PhD in Ageing, was very instrumental in bringing about changes recently adopted by the Ministry of Social Development. Dr Rouse expressed concern about the rising number of cases of “elder abuse” in Trinidad and Tobago.

She said factors that might be contributing to this included smaller families, the modernisation of family values, immigration and low mortality and birth rates, all of which significantly reduce the pool of potential caregivers for the elderly.

Dr Rouse went on to list several plans by the ministry to ensure the elderly received good care. Some of these plans were: “Meals on Wheels”, a service that would deliver hot meals to elderly persons in need of this service; and the regulation of senior citizens homes, as there were over 103 homes in Trinidad with only half that number registered. This latter action was very crucial, Dr Rouse said, as many of these “homes” did not adhere to the prescribed requirements for the running of such a facility.

She also raised the very important issue of health care for the elderly, stating that the elderly currently had no specific rights to health care. She also spoke of the discrimination faced by elderly persons.

Another big challenge for the elderly was mobility, she said, and revealed that the Ministry of Social Development was looking to start a free taxi service for the elderly, among many other services.

On a lighter note, Dr Rouse said “people are now proud of their age”, as compared to ten years ago when they would try to disguise it. She attributed the shift in that culture to the fact that nowadays “many grandparents are in their 50s”.

She also joked, “The politicians are ageing. That’s why I’m getting my policies passed.”
By the end of the seminar, the way forward in the fight against several social ills was clearer. A need for legislative amendments was clearly identified, in particular amendments to the Children’s Act.

Recommendations were also made for domestic abuse laws to be revised to include “Domestic Partner” abuse, since the law on domestic violence applied only to legally married couples and common-law unions more than 12 months old, and for safe houses for victims of abuse, whether child, elderly person or other adult.

Meanwhile, word came during the conference that Kathleen Guy, founder of Disabled Women’s Organisation, had passed away and a prayer was said in remembrance of her.