Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed by the author(s) do not represent the official position of Barbados TODAY.
by McDonald Woodroffe
There is no scarcity of credible information concerning the problems at the Girls Section of the G.I.S. This data, which was the result of studies, meetings, workshops and investigations, could have been used to resolve many of the issues at the School. One study which stands out was conducted for three months at the School by a team of overseas researchers.
In the months of November and December 2015 and January 2016 research was conducted at the girls section of the Government Industrial School by a team from the University of Applied Sciences, Rotterdam, Centre of Expertise Knowledge in Care.
It had official sanction and ethical approval for the protocol was obtained from the Ethics Committee serving the Ministry of Health and the University of the West Indies.
The study was part of a project “Minors Beyond Borders” and its aim was divided into two parts. The first was to gain insight into the issues faced by the girls while at the school and during their reintegration.
The second was to consider how the Industrial School contributed to the needs of the girls during their stay at the school and while reintegrating into society.
The research was completed among twenty-two girls aged fourteen to seventeen years. It also involved members of staff and three former G.I.S girls. The girls at the school were interviewed twice during the study and, according to the report; they were very frank and cooperative with the researchers. The following are some of the revelations which were extracted from the report submitted by the researchers.
“The girls from the G.I.S use multiple ways to cope. Some of the girls use more than one. Some girls cope with the past by hurting themselves. Crying and trying to get away from the negative place are also strategies. Some girls even think of hurting others. They feel like killing them, as well as themselves.”
“Some girls get very angry or distressed very quickly. Seven girls talk about having anger management issues in the G.I.S. At least two girls said explicitly that they used medication to suppress this kind of behaviour. They are scared of being sent to the Psychiatric Hospital.”
“Three girls spoke of their suicidal thoughts. They say that voices in their heads tell them to do so “……….” Two girls said that some of the staff will use violence as punishment.” In the words of one of them, ‘She hits, HITS, she hits me, actually I can still feel it.’
“Girls think the cell is an unfair treatment and some of them even think the cells are really bad. They don’t feel safe in the cell and don’t have the feeling the staff check up on them often enough.”
The researchers, despite the official sanction, were denied access to the isolation cells and the dormitory and had to rely on information. This is baffling since it would not have been a security risk or an invasion of the privacy of the girls. One can only assume that the conditions of these areas were not suitable for the scrutiny of the researchers.
A report titled “If you can think, you can change” was submitted by the researchers. It contained recommendations in respect of health care, education, reintegration, stigma, contact with families, punishment, improving the skills
of the staff and teachers, bullying, isolation cells and unfair treatment.
It was also recommended that the School should be more open about its true purpose, since the secrecy added to the stigma. The researchers suggested that publishing their research or sharing information about the school and the research through multimedia would assist in such an accomplishment.
The study, given the restraints, was thorough and the comprehensive report makes intriguing reading. I agree that its publication would at least educate the public about the many issues faced by the girls before and during their stay at the School. It may also pave the way for them to gain employment after their release.
There is too much procrastination and bureaucratic red tape in dealing with these issues. Prompt action, sometimes outside the bounds of bureaucracy, can save lives. It is no wonder that two of the girls now find themselves before the Court charged with assault. It is an act of providence rather than the actions of man that there have been no reports of very serious injuries, even death, during this long period of unrest at the School.
McDonald Woodroffe is a retired Senior Superintendent of the Barbados Police Service.
