The Guyana Day Humanitarian Project
October 3, 2008
I was totally dismayed and profoundly shocked by the recent article in the Kaieteur News about a 14 year girl who had been shackled at home, by means of a chain and padlock, preventing her from running away, to escape the physical and sexual abuse, meted out to her by her stepfather and mother. Memories came rushing back to me about the fate of another teenage girl who experienced similar circumstances, and who died tragically, when she was consumed by a raging fire - this was the story of Nirmala, as told in ‘Nirmala’s Torment’, which, incidently, is posted on this site. Nirmala lived at Montrose, East Coast Demerara. This 14 year victim, as reported by Kaieteur News, lives at Bachelor’s Adventure, also on the East Coast Demerara. In Nirmala’s case, the Ministry of Human Services failed miserably to come to her rescue, despite repeated pleas from my family, and others on the East Coast. I am convinced that it was because of the ineptitude and ineffectiveness of the Minister who was responsible at that time. The present Minister, however, has seized the 14 year old from Bachelor’s Adventure, and placed her under the protection of the Ministry’s Welfare Dept. The stepfather has been arrested, while the mother is on the run. I am, indeed, very happy for the 14 year old teenager!
Nevertheless, there is much to be done about this social disease of sexual and physical abuse of teenage girls, and boys. I have seen, and has been in close proximity to, this disease. It exists throughout Guyana, as it surely does in other countries. The causes are many, and varies from home to home, district to district, region to region, but some of the chief culprits are:
1. Poverty.
2. Lack of Education.
3. Parental Neglect.
4. An absence of proper Social, Religious, and Govt. Programs.
5. Mental and physical ailments which are deemed incurable.
6. Drug Addiction.
7. And, a total disinterest in ‘it takes a village to raise a child’.
Guyana Day, Inc., has embarked on a mission to help these children! We have created the ‘Guyana Day Humanitarian Project’ to work on ways and means to help these abused and neglected children.
I have been able to identify some of these children in Guyana, and have already started the mission. I need your help.
Harry Bissoon
- Celebrating the Raising of the Guyana Flag in Lower Manhattan Saturday May 31 2008
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This seems to be a big project, Do you have a structure set up in Guyana to handle this?