Measures coming to help juvenile offenders

Legislation is on the way to enhance the capabilities of the island’s juvenile justice system and to bring more developmental initiatives for delinquent youth online.

This promise came from Acting Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Home Affairs, Information and Public Affairs, Anthony Wiltshire, as he delivered the remarks at the Promoting Agency Trust and Hope (PATH) recognition and awards ceremony held at the Government Industrial School (GIS) on Wednesday.

The PATH programme, which was implemented with the help of the University of the West Indies (UWI) Cave Hill Campus and funding assistance from Templeton World Charity Foundation, partnered residents of GIS with mentors who were screened using scientific parameters, in order to get the best results at the end of the project.

Wiltshire noted that the programme had shown positive results in its first year.

“The PATH programme is making a positive impact in the lives of our nation’s youth. Furthermore, the PATH programme enhances the ongoing work of the Ministry of Home Affairs, Information and Public Affairs, particularly its commitment to overhauling the juvenile system in Barbados. Government is in the process of developing a whole range of legislation which will encapsulate, among other things, issues relating to the safety and protection of children,” he said.

Noting that Barbados had already signed and ratified the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, Wiltshire said the country’s goal now is to implement improvements in areas of child justice, education and medical care, with an emphasis on helping juvenile offenders as they re-enter society.

“The PATH project brings to the fore the fact that children who would have been sent to GIS under outdated legislation, are isolated from their families, schools and neighbourhoods. By re-engaging the local community, in part through the mentoring programme, the initiative offers young offenders support, attention, and positive community engagement,” he explained.

“Having a stable, reliable, and caring person in your life could spell the difference between staying in school or calling it quits, or succumbing to bad habits or learning how to make better choices. Having someone to look up to allows young people, and particularly those who have been in conflict with the law, to see a vision for themselves which does not have to reflect their past. A bright future can and does await.” (SB)