By Tyrone Reid, Staff Reporter 
A STAGGERING number of our nation's children are being left at home alone, reports from the Child Development Agency (CDA) indicate.
Despite the clear and present dangers associated with this practice, some of which can be fatal, parents across the island are still leaving their children by themselves minus proper adult supervision.
The St. Catherine arm of the Child Development Agency told The Sunday Gleaner that this perilous practice increases significantly during the festive seasons.
"The number fluctuates (but) particularly during the festive seasons, the figures are usually high ... on a weekly basis we get 10 calls and that is a modest figure," said Mrs Belzine Prince, parish manager for St. Catherine.
LACK OF SUPERVISION
Mrs. Prince explained that during the non-festive seasons her office receives about four to five calls per day, which would result in excess of 240 calls per annum.
This lack of supervision, Mrs. Prince says is a thorn that the nation needs to remove from its side. "To be frank, in my 15 years of working with the agency I have found that a great, big problem is inadequate supervision," she lamented.
"It is a major problem. The importance of proper supervision cannot be over emphasised but a great number of parents are not taking the whole matter of supervision seriously."
Maxine Bagalue, parish manager for CDA's St. Ann office, also said that there has been an increase in the number of reported cases within her jurisdiction.
"In recent times, we have noticed that there has been an increase in the number of calls concerning children who are being neglected or left alone by their parents for an extended period," she said.
She added: "It is a dangerous practice and we need to get the parents to a level where they understand this."
Ms. Bagalue attributed the rise in the number of reported cases to the work that the CDA has been doing to sensitise the people to the the necessity and the consequences of not speaking out, which are outlined in the Child Care and Protection Act.
"Anything can happen. Un-supervised children are at risk to be sexually and physically abused as well as they are exposed to fires that occur ever so often."
A point that was emphasised by the children's officer that spoke to The Sunday Gleaner is the commonplace practice of children monitoring children.
Leonard Leslie, a children's officer at the Kingston and St. Andrew Family Court Unit, said that his office gets "quite a few of those calls". He said one officer could get an average two calls per week reporting that children are not being supervised. However, he pointed out that general neglect is much more widespread.
"Neglecting the needs of the child is more predominant. The parents might be around but they are not supervising their children closely. You get more calls of that nature, as much as five to eight calls," said Mr. Leslie.
UNTOLD STORIES
Grace Ann McFarlane, regional director for the CDA southern region, which includes Man-chester, St. Elizabeth and Clarendon, told The Sunday Gleaner that parishes within her purview are not exempt from this perilous practice.
While the reported cases may be alarming, the officials at the CDA offices said that many cases remain untold stories.
"I do know that there are some cases that are not reported because they (people) are afraid or they don't want to get involved," stressed Mrs. Prince.
However, she said that she is heartened by the fact that of late, more persons are coming out of their closets of silence.
This point was supported by a children's officer stationed in St. Ann. "I don't think it is being reported. Things about children are not really reported,' commented the social worker who requested anonymity.
