Overview
Most children living in Barbados and the Eastern Caribbean are born healthy and have access to basic social services, which include health and primary and secondary education services. However, access to early childhood education services continues to be low for most countries. Most governments are taking remedies to improve this situation and it is hoped that access to universal early childhood services will be achieved in the next decade. Children are also being affected by the prevalence of HIV/AIDS in the region as it evidenced by the rising number of children orphaned by HIV/AIDS. Social life Many children in the region live in single parent homes, where the mother is usually the head of the household. There are cases of children who live with relatives, friends, neighbours, or older siblings as unemployment have forced some parents to migrate to North America to find work. In some instances, this has created problems as individuals are not able to care for, or are disinterested in caring for their young ones and it has resulted in some children being neglected or abused in the home. The problem of abuse is further aggravated by the strong culture of silence around issue as often parents, as well as professionals are reluctant to report it. They often fear the embarrassment, time consuming nature of investigations and violence from alleged abusers. Unfortunately existing child protection legislation is often scattered through several pieces of legislation -- Domestic Violence Acts, Sexual Offences Acts – and there is need for legislation specifically designed for the care and protection of children who are abused or at risk of being abused.Children living in both single parent, as well as nuclear family households are subject to corporal punishment as the main form of discipline, as it is considered as a cultural norm in the region. Adolesents living in the region are generally well-adjusted, however many have been affected by the escalating levels of violence in schools, as well as in the wider community. Opportunities for their meaningful participation on issues affecting their lives are limited. The legal system and children Children in some Eastern Caribbean countries are being affected by out-dated family laws. For example, in some countries such as in Dominica, Montserrat and St. Lucia there is no Status of Children legislation which equalises the rights of children born out of wedlock with those born in wedlock. Among other things, the former are not allowed to be entitled to same amount of financial maintenance as if their parents were married, and their fathers also have limited rights of access and custody to them. Even in countries such as St. Vincent and the Grenadines and St. Kitts and Nevis which have reformed their laws and enacted Status of Children legislation, they have not totally eliminated discrimination against such children and the discrepancies between the rights and responsibilities of unmarried fathers and mothers persist.Another area of concern in the region is that of juvenile justice. Children in conflict with the law are often treated like adults and not like children in need of special protection measures. Although legislation designed for juvenile offenders exist, they do not adequately incorporate alternative approaches of sentencing such as diversion programmes, probationary services, community service orders and other rehabilitative measures. For more information see report entitled: Situation analysis of children and women in twelve countries in the Caribbean Region.
Social Policy Mapping Database for Children in the Eastern Caribbean A situation analysis of children and women in the Eastern Caribbean |
