It has been just over two weeks (21st February 2016) since the Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago publicly asked “what about the rights and responsibilities of parents who breed monsters at home and send these monsters to teachers?”.
It has been just over two weeks since the President of TTUTA, Davanand Sinanan endorsed the Prime Minister’s statements saying that “The Prime Minister spoke the truth and he had to indicate to the national community in a very firm manner that we have a serious problem that we all have to take note of, and that’s basically what he was doing.”
And it has been just over two weeks since President of the National Parent Teachers Association Zena Ramatali asked the public not to “crucify” Rowley for the comment because she “really do[es] not believe that he thinks that the children are monsters” and “ felt it was a slip of the tongue”.
However if we ignore the reports in the last two weeks of a 54 year old ‘monster’ police officer that is currently facing charges for trafficking three Colombian women in 2013, if we forget about the report of a 40 year old ‘monster’ that forced his lover of fourteen years to drink acid and poured it on her, if we turn a blind eye to the FIU report of ‘monsters’ in the business community and cabinet who racked up approximately $354million TTD in suspicious transactions between October 2014 and September 2015, and if we didn’t hear about the ‘monster’ that attacked a woman in her bed and chopped her hands and arms almost completely off, we still have at least 4,158 cases of reported ‘monsters’ (identified in the last nine months alone) that are currently being investigated for neglect, sexual abuse, physical abuse or lacking care and guardianship by the Children’s Authority.
Let me be clear: In the last nine months, from May 2015-February 2016 Children’s Authority has received 4,158 valid reports of abuse to a child under the age of seventeen. Put another way, the number of children abused (as reported to CA) in the last nine months can fill up the NAPA auditorium three and a half times. And what's more, is that the victims in the majority of these cases are girls and can fill up the NAPA auditorium two times (approx. 2,411 girls abused or 58% of cases reported). Let us not forget that approximately 40% of these victims are under the age of 10 years old and can fill up the NAPA auditorium one and a third times (approx. 1,663 or 40% of cases reported). Or the fact that the number of girls that were reported to be sexually abused can fill up the Queen’s Hall auditorium (approx. 796 girls or 86%) while the number of boys that were reported to be sexually abused fill only one of the smallest theatre room in MovieTowne - you know, screens 5,6,7,8,9 &10 (approx. 160 boys or 13%).
Sheep doh make goat. So I must wonder, who are the real ‘monsters’ in this country and might we find them by looking in the mirror?
Grover understood it best ... do not wubbah me or I will wubbah you ♪