Red Cross receives $$ for child sexual abuse prevention
Director of the BVI Red Cross Helen Frett.
The BVI Red Cross has received a $5,000 grant which it will use to undertake a comprehensive child sexual abuse prevention strategy in the territory.
Red Cross Director Helen Frett said her organisation received the grant from global child advocates, Help For Children.
The funds will be used specifically towards a Red Cross course known as the ‘Darkness to Light, Stewards of Children’ which, according to Frett, empowers adults on child sexual abuse prevention.
The aforementioned abuse-prevention strategy will target organisations who engage with youth. The strategy will seek to implement various protection standards within these organisations.
These standards will include having child protection policies in the workplace and ensuring that background checks are done on employees of these organisations.
“Child abuse is a continuing problem in the BVI with 28 percent of various abuses being sex-related. While the figure was down from 38 percent in 2015, the issue remains of great concern to the authorities,” Frett said via a recent media release.
Frett said a fraction of the funds will also be used to train the facilitators in new techniques and procedures.
In the meantime, another part of the funds will be channelled towards a two-hour training course.
That course seeks to educate adults on recognising sexual abuse, how to effectively respond to it, and the relevant procedures in reporting suspected cases of abuse to the authorities.
“The programme believes and teaches that child safety is an adult’s job. It is designed for organisations that serve children and youth,” Frett explained.
Copyright 2024 BVI News, Media Expressions Limited. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or distributed.
I’m sure they could have used some of the cash they spent on those nice new vehicles for something a little more beneficial for the community. But that’s how the RC roll.
Those vehicles will be used to transport and assist people in the community among other things.
Grants are specific to needs of an organizations. How about you signing up to be a volunteer at RC and help out the BVI.
The Darkness to Light program is an internationally recognized program that aids/trains all who come into contact with children in a professional manner.
We welcome this RC! Hats off to Mrs. Frett and her team.
That was NOT Red Cross money spend for vehicles! The vehicles have all been donated. Partly locally, partly from British Red Cross. If it wasn’t for the old Red Cross Jeep, many of the shelters would have been without food and water right after IRMA. Many persons were shut in their homes after IRMA and were brought to safety by tireless working Red Cross volunteers. Even if Red Cross had spent any money on vehicles, it would have been “money well spend”
That Red Cross shop is a b—- p—– for those who run it.
Yes that girl in there need go
I would like for Red Cross to involve the actual children as well. If they are the target well train them directly because these low for pedophiles could be grooming them and they don’t know that they should tell someone before it gets too far.
How can I personally help?