Group plans march to highlight concerns about Child Protection Bill

Even though they have not sent any formal correspondence to the Government about concerns they have with the structure of the Child Protection Bill, some citizens are gearing up to take to the streets on Saturday to make it clear that the proposed legislation must be reviewed before it becomes law.
The Watch Out My Children group has invited Barbadians to turn out in large numbers to support a march and rally to highlight parents’ and various stakeholders’ concerns about the bill and the National School Nutrition Policy.
The march will begin at Kensington Car Park at 10 a.m. and end at Independence Square where a rally will be held with various speakers addressing issues related to parental and child rights.
Speaking during a press conference at SIFA House, on Tuesday, at SIFA House, Upper Collymore Rock, St Michael, human and gender rights activist Felicia Dujon said the group was gravely concerned that aspects of the Child Protection Bill appear to reduce the rights of Barbadian parents.
Suggesting that the urgent matter needs the attention of the media and citizens, Dujon said the group was willing to give the Government the benefit of the doubt and was waiting “to see what the new bill looks like”.
“So we are hoping that the bill again will be in the public domain and it will give us the opportunity again to review it. Listen, we have to go for this bill to ensure that it is accurate, there is no anomaly, there is no contradiction, and there is no arbitrary language.
“So if it has to take us five years, it will take us five years. Because once its law is law, it is very difficult to repeal a law. And so what we will be doing is we will be awaiting the Government. They have made a promise that it will go to the select committee so that it could be reviewed, so once that is done, then we can review it again,” Dujon said.
She said through various forums, including the media, the group has publicly made recommendations on adjustments that should be made to the bill.
The human rights activist added that the group of concerned parents also submitted a proposal for parental rights to be included in the new constitution.
Meanwhile, one of the founding members of the group, Marcia Weekes, said the march and rally were not a one-off event and would be held again if the need arose.
In fact, she said until the group was satisfied that its concerns were being addressed, there “will be no peace in this country”.
“This is not a one protest, this is not a one march. And when I say there is no peace, I am not talking about violence, I am not talking about burning down the City. I am saying to you that, as parents, we are not going to roll over and let this happen.
“You are going to hear protest after protest by different groups because it matters to us. This is not a political thing; this is something that you feel in your womb as a woman,” Weekes said.
(AH)