Torture in [Barbados] [other countries]
Human Trafficking in [Barbados] [other countries]
Street Children in [Barbados] [other countries]
Child Prostitution in [Barbados] [other countries]
 

Prevalence, Abuse & Exploitation of Street Children

In the early years of the 21st Century gvnet.com/streetchildren/Barbados.htm

Barbados Historically, the Barbadian economy was dependent on sugarcane cultivation and related activities. However, in recent years the economy has diversified into light industry and tourism with about three-quarters of GDP and 80% of exports being attributed to services. The country enjoys one of the highest per capita incomes in the region. The government continues its efforts to reduce unemployment, to encourage direct foreign investment, and to privatize remaining state-owned enterprises. [The World Factbook, U.S.C.I.A. 2009]

CAUTION:  The following links and accompanying text have been culled from the web to illuminate the situation in Barbados. Some of these links may lead to websites that present allegations that are unsubstantiated or even false.  No attempt has been made to validate their authenticity or to verify their content.

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Human Rights Reports » 2006 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices

U.S. Dept of State Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor, March 6, 2007

www.state.gov/g/drl/rls/hrrpt/2006/78879.htm

[accessed 21 January 2011]

CHILDREN - Education was free, compulsory, and universal until the age of 16. The government estimated that 98 percent of children between the ages of five and 16 attended school. The highest educational level achieved by most children was secondary school.

The National Health Insurance Scheme provided children with free medical and dental services for most medical conditions.

Initial report of Barbados - Committee on the Rights of the Child (CRC)

UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, 25 April 1999

www.unhchr.ch/tbs/doc.nsf/%28Symbol%29/d314358d26be3da380256782004c5866?Opendocument

[accessed 5 April 2011]

27. There were no street children in Barbados. If a mother and her children were evicted from their home, the social services acted fast to find emergency housing. The Juvenile Liaison Scheme (a special unit of police officers trained as social workers) and the Child Care Board likewise intervened to provide assistance.

28. Turning to the question of why boys were more frequently abandoned than girls, he explained that one reason was that it was widely believed that adolescent boys were difficult and troublesome, and so prospective adoptive parents preferred girls. Some welcome changes in attitude had been achieved by an information drive and advocacy.

Barbados - The Situation of Children in the Worst Forms of Child Labour in a tourism economy: A Rapid Assessment [PDF]

Leith L. Dunn Ph.D., International Labour Organisation ILO Subregional Office for the Caribbean, Port of Spain, Trinidad, December 2002

www.ilocarib.org.tt/projects/childlabour/library/rapid_assessment/rabar.pdf

[accessed 5 April 2011]

[page 24] e) The Compulsory Education Act, which was previously mentioned. While indicating that ‘there is no evidence of street children or child prostitution’, the report points to an obvious need for:

a) Research and accurate reporting on the situation of children at risk especially in terms of child abuse and drug use among juveniles;

b) Stricter enforcement of legal provisions to protect children;

c) Special arrangement and facilities for juvenile offenders;

d) Education and training in counselling; and

e) An increased level of community awareness to prevent further deterioration of the situation.

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Torture in [Barbados] [other countries]
Human Trafficking in [Barbados] [other countries]
Street Children in [Barbados] [other countries]
Child Prostitution in [Barbados] [other countries]