Over one hundred persons graduated from the ‘In The Know – On The Go’ Programme hosted by the Office of the Prime Minister, Gender and Child Affairs on Wednesday.
The programme aimed to empower people in various communities by equipping them with the necessary knowledge, tools and resources to protect children.
During Child Abuse Awareness and Prevention Month in April 2024, the Office of the Prime Minister, Gender and Child Affairs, launched their ‘In the Know – On the Go” Programme.
The intent was to help communities prevent child abuse.
Wednesday’s Graduation Ceremony featured over 100 graduands, among them 54 girls from the St. Jude’s School for Girls.
Line Minister, Ayanna Webster-Roy, touched by the coming together of Parliamentarians, Constituency staff, and stakeholders from all sides, said it sends a message to Trinidad and Tobago.
“Even though I am crying, I am genuinely happy and I am pleased because it shows that we could do it. It shows that if we put aside our differences and really stay focussed on the task at hand, which is to save and protect and to nurture our most vulnerable citizens, we all have the ability and the capacity to do it.”
Member of Parliament for Tabaquite, Anita Haynes-Alleyne, issued a call to continue educating, reaching out, and contributing toward building the nation through community efforts.
“This has been a constant modus-operandi from the Ministry in terms of reaching across the aisle and for things like child protection and child rights, that is everyone’s business. That is the business of the nation.”
Meanwhile Minister in the Ministry of National Security, Senior Counsel Keith Scotland reiterated our mantra and our motto must be one child abused is one child too many.
“I like to take things in baby steps, and we all come from homes and I want to suggest to us in beginning this journey, make your home a safe haven for all our children. That is something that we can all achieve on our own without any outside help.”
The Programme educated Government officials, their staff, teenagers, and children on the critical signs of abuse. Participating children were certified through a Teenage Module, equipping them with the tools to help other vulnerable children.