Today representatives from the four main media houses and a few out-district ones attended a media workshop to promote the importance of accurate, child-friendly reporting. The special guest was the Commissioner, who gave his insights on two recent cases involving children. Following the session, he insisted that the media must do more to protect the identities of children, whether they are victims or perpetrators.
Chester Williams, Commissioner of Police
"Today's session I must say was good and Jules is my hero today. That doesn't normally happen but we often discuss issues surrounding children whether they are accused of committing a crime or they are victims of crimes. I do agree that as Jules Vasquez has suggested that when it comes to children who come into conflict with the law, the media must be responsible enough so as to not publish the identity of these children because then either way you take, whether they're victims or offenders, it is going to bring some degree of embarrassment to them and I don't think we should expose children to things like that so today was good and I want to thank NCFC for even setting up this event. I think this course today was very important and productive and I wish there is going to be more of this."
And the ComPol zeroed in a specific case - that of the 3 year old who was beaten repeatedly by a 33 year old male relative. Williams personally went to prosecute the case after the man was charged with cruelty to a child. Then he learned that it would be difficult for that charge to stick since the child was not in the custody of the relative, which means the perpetrator would have to be charged with a lesser crime such as harm. He said that the law needs to change.
Chester Williams, Commissioner of Police
"Like I said, if it is that we don't take care of our children today then our future is going to be dim. We cannot live in a society where our children are being abused and the laws that are put in place to protect them are inadequate. To say that in order to prosecute a person for cruelty to a child, the child must be in the care or charge of the abuser, I don't think it is right. If you abuse a child, if you are cruel to a child, it should not be dependent on whether the child is in your care or charge. It should be across the board and so I would like to see that aspect of the law change as well as to make the penalty for persons who abuse children to be more severe than what it is now."
The session also featured presentations from Justice Antoinette Moore and Justice Natalie Creary Dixon.
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