San Fernando (Trinidad and Tobago), SVM News, November 17, 2007: A-14-year old girl sincerely begged the magistrate's court of San Fernando in Republic of Trinidad and Tobago on November 16 to send her to the Women's Prison.
The girl believes that she will be abused more if go back to her siblings; but could benefit from counselling in the prison.
The girl is a Form One student of a secondary school in south Trinidad. She was brought to the court on Friday through summons for uncontrollable behaviour, on the recommendation of Social Welfare Officer, Monica Dash.
She admitted before the court that she is often influenced by men who abuse her on the streets.
Salem Voice Ministries (SVM) News Service reports that the girl's sister-in-law witnessed the court that the girl had been seen with men who take advantage of her. She also told that the girl does not know who her mother is. Her father is 70 years old and is unable to supervise her due to his age. She would often leave home for school in her uniform, but changes along the route into pants and blouse.
But acting Senior Magistrate Ramraj Harripersad, presiding in the Petty Civil Court San Fernando forced to send the girl back with her siblings. As the girl’s sister-in-law who accompanied her, left the courtroom, she warned that the girl was unruly and was likely to end up again on the streets.
Magistrates stated that homes for children were packed to capacity, and on the other hand, he could not commit a minor to prison.
But, with swollen eyes, the girl begged the magistrate that she wanted to go to the Women's Prison. A stunned magistrate asked: "What! Do you know what there is like...you want to be a guest of the prison at age 14? It is perhaps you envision the women's prison where you could have lots of laughs as portrayed on television."
Magistrate Harripersad was about to make an order to commit the girl to St Jude's Home for Children, but the female court prosecutor Cpl Sampson Moore-Phillip, told him that the home was overpopulated.
Atttorney Ainsley Lucky who was sitting at the bar table, jumped to his feet and with the magistrate's permission to appear amicus (friend of the court), admonished the girl and advised her against opting to go to the Women's Prison.
Saying that he was indeed taken aback by the girl's plight, Harripersad commented that the case struck at the root of the deep social crisis of the country's youth population. "This girl does not know her mother, and her father is 70. She is prone to all kinds of things, where the attendant social illnesses of sexual abuse, drugs and HIV, will befall her if the powers that be do not take cognisance," he said.
The magistrate said that it was with a heavy heart, he must return the girl into the care of the sister-in-law. He ordered that welfare officer Dash be informed that some form of rehabilitation be provided for her.
SVM News: http://salemvoice.org/svmnews272.html
The girl believes that she will be abused more if go back to her siblings; but could benefit from counselling in the prison.
The girl is a Form One student of a secondary school in south Trinidad. She was brought to the court on Friday through summons for uncontrollable behaviour, on the recommendation of Social Welfare Officer, Monica Dash.
She admitted before the court that she is often influenced by men who abuse her on the streets.
Salem Voice Ministries (SVM) News Service reports that the girl's sister-in-law witnessed the court that the girl had been seen with men who take advantage of her. She also told that the girl does not know who her mother is. Her father is 70 years old and is unable to supervise her due to his age. She would often leave home for school in her uniform, but changes along the route into pants and blouse.
But acting Senior Magistrate Ramraj Harripersad, presiding in the Petty Civil Court San Fernando forced to send the girl back with her siblings. As the girl’s sister-in-law who accompanied her, left the courtroom, she warned that the girl was unruly and was likely to end up again on the streets.
Magistrates stated that homes for children were packed to capacity, and on the other hand, he could not commit a minor to prison.
But, with swollen eyes, the girl begged the magistrate that she wanted to go to the Women's Prison. A stunned magistrate asked: "What! Do you know what there is like...you want to be a guest of the prison at age 14? It is perhaps you envision the women's prison where you could have lots of laughs as portrayed on television."
Magistrate Harripersad was about to make an order to commit the girl to St Jude's Home for Children, but the female court prosecutor Cpl Sampson Moore-Phillip, told him that the home was overpopulated.
Atttorney Ainsley Lucky who was sitting at the bar table, jumped to his feet and with the magistrate's permission to appear amicus (friend of the court), admonished the girl and advised her against opting to go to the Women's Prison.
Saying that he was indeed taken aback by the girl's plight, Harripersad commented that the case struck at the root of the deep social crisis of the country's youth population. "This girl does not know her mother, and her father is 70. She is prone to all kinds of things, where the attendant social illnesses of sexual abuse, drugs and HIV, will befall her if the powers that be do not take cognisance," he said.
The magistrate said that it was with a heavy heart, he must return the girl into the care of the sister-in-law. He ordered that welfare officer Dash be informed that some form of rehabilitation be provided for her.
SVM News: http://salemvoice.org/svmnews272.html
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