2013-DEC-06-1039Hrs
Dear Errol,
Thought that you saw these that were published. Do what you wish with them. Have a nice day. Hazel Thompson and I have been appointed to a National Taask Force for the Protection of Children. Our first meeting is this afternoon. There are 17 people on this Task Force. We are being called a "Maxi-Full Committee. LOL We will see how this goes. Maria
"Trinidad and Tobago’s Children; Endangered Species
At the risk of sounding like a stuck record, I am again calling on those on whom the responsibility has been bestowed, to please do something. Setting up mentoring progammes will not do it. A child, in Trinidad and Tobago is defined as someone below the age of 18. Children are people too. They have a right to life; a right to be protected, not harmed nor bullied; to speak up if something bad is happening to them; to be listened to; to their own thoughts, ideas and feelings.
Children are not inanimate objects. From birth to 2 years, they do not have the ability to speak, so they cannot describe what is happening or how they feel. They will become irritable; they will cry more often and need to be cuddled more frequently. They will respond to caring that is given to them by any adult.
When they get to pre-school they can feel powerless, helpless and cannot protect themselves. They need to be protected. At this stage they fear abandonment. They constantly need reassurance that they will not be left behind.
At school age, children have the ability to understand what is happening to them. Between 6 – 10 years they are very trusting and firmly believe that the adults who care for them will look after them. They will therefore, do anything that the “caring” adult in their lives tell them to do. In times gone by, that we cannot “bring back” children were told that they must listen to adults. However, we must now help our children to be discerning. One of the greatest signs of discernment is that “gut feeling.” We must help children to pay attention to the stomach that feels strange when something is not going right. They must pay attention to changes in routine. If an adult comes out of the blue and changes their routine, they must feel that something is not right here and move away from the situation immediately. Many young children can be seen at City Gate waiting on transportation to go home. Many go to school very far away from home, all by themselves.
In adolescence, children are risk-takers. If they were taught to be discerning in their pre-teens they will be cautious as they move into adolescence. Not only are they risk-takers, they feel that they know everything and are indestructible. At this time they begin to move out into the world, this is why they need non-judgemental listening ears. We must prepare our children for adolescence, or else, as it now seems, many of them will never make it.
I will say this again. We need a cadre of social workers, who are assigned to communities which are deemed vulnerable. These social workers will visit homes and keep in touch with what is happening. We also need either an Ombudsman for Children (as in The Netherlands) or a Division of Children’s Services, which will have the social workers assigned to communities. It is at this point that the vulnerable children will be identified. The social workers will help mothers and fathers with their parenting skills, identify those parents who work shift and leave children alone in the home. You all know that I can go on and on with what needs to be done. I am again appealing for those policy makers to get serious about our nation’s future. What did they say are the reasons for the demise, not demise, the aborting of the Children’s Authority? I hope that I misunderstood the report. Trinidad and Tobago’s future is in jeopardy in more ways than one.
Anna Maria Mora
Another Wake-Up Call
All those persons who are calling for the legalization of marijuana please rethink this clarion call very carefully. Yes, there is now the evidence that a very small amount of marijuana can be used for medicinal purposes, but there should be a foot note to this which states “Under your doctor’s supervision.” The abuse of marijuana leads to the need for stronger and stronger “fixes.” This is where cocaine and all its derivatives come in.
All of you who talk about “Jah Herb” think very carefully about the many children who have been the victims of “Jah Herb.” Jah did not bring children on this earth to suffer, be sexually abused and murdered. As you drive through and walk through many of our communities you get the pungent smell of this herb. There are times (nose burning and eyes watering) when you know that there is something else mixed in with the herb, which could alter the mind and the person could become very dangerous to everyone within a short distance.
Children are the vulnerable ones, because they are very trusting and they are helpless, powerless and voiceless. They are vulnerable in their mother’s womb. They are vulnerable at conception, because a sperm under the influence of marijuana and/or excessive use of alcohol is not a healthy, normal-shaped sperm. Any conception under these conditions will create children who look very normal but their brain development is abnormal. They will not be able to think straight. Some are born developmentally delayed, and others are slow to respond to everything. Others can be “hyper” and are unable to sit down and listen to anyone for any length of time. Growing up without any intervention or specialized services will turn this child into a drug-crazed adult. How many times have we heard that someone looked like a snake and that person is beaten to death or “ah feeling real hungry boy, ah want some meat to eat” and a helpless victim is caught.
I am hoping that these tragedies that are happening too often in our communities, will be a wake-up call to all those who sell, smoke, or encourage others to indulge in “jah herb” because it is “sweetest feeling” and it “will help clear d sinus.” Please rethink your position and find a way to make your money that does not endanger the helpless and vulnerable members of your community. Yes, we will get angry when these things happen and understand that there is a very thin, fragile line between being sane and sociable and becoming an insane animal, but do not point outward. We must point inward and ask ourselves many questions.
To all those young ladies and young men out there who are young, strong and sexual, please think very carefully before getting into bed with anyone. There are ways to protect yourself and your future from these tragedies. The best protection is abstinence. Please rethink your position. We must also know that combining mental ill-health, marijuana, cocaine, sexual promiscuity and pornography is a recipe for death and destruction of people and communities.
Anna Maria Mora
Counselling Psychologist
Trying really hard to stop saying and writing the same things over and over again."
Anna Maria Mora 70
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