Petrina Francis, Staff Reporter

TEN PER cent of the sexual abuse cases that are seen at the Child Abuse Mitigation Project (CAMP Bustamante) since 2004 are boys, some as young as four years old, according to Rose Robinson-Hall, project coordinator.

Using a hospital-based model, children admitted to Bustamante Hospital for Children who appear to be victims of violence are identified, referred and treated at CAMP Bustamante.

Robinson-Hall said since its inception in 2004, CAMP Bustamante has seen 1,300 cases of children affected by violence and abuse. One third of the cases, she said, were sexual abuse matters.

Denying the matter

"Parents have a difficult time dealing with it (the abuse of their sons) and are retreating in denial and, therefore, the boys are not getting the services," Robinson-Hall told The Gleaner yesterday.

She also noted that some girls who have been abused were also not getting the services they needed.

The project coordinator said close to 90 per cent of the perpetrators were known to the abused child.

Robinson-Hall told The Gleaner that when children are hurt by violence, it affects their mental health and could lead to juvenile delinquency and hostility.

Intervention

"If you are able to intervene at an early stage, you stand a very good chance of avoiding some of the negative consequences," she said.

Robinson-Hall noted that cases that come to CAMP Bustamante are reported to the Children's Registry - the agency responsible for hearing cases of child abuse and children in need of care and protection.

The project coordinator said cases that are seen at Camp Busta-mante would not have been picked up by the Child Development Agency (CDA). She said not all cases needed intervention by the CDA.

Programme replication

Robinson-Hall also pointed out that most of the cases emanate from high-risk inner-city communities.

Meanwhile, Children's Advocate Mary Clarke told The Gleaner last week that the CAMP Bustamante project was a tested and proven model and should be replicated in other public hospitals across the island.

Robinson-Hall said she was in agreement with this suggestion, noting that a replication would allow for the systematisation of services for children.

She noted that some hospitals only had one social worker and that that employee was often swamped with work, not being able to fully attend to abused children's needs.

A project like CAMP Bustamante, which hires social workers and provides counselling, would provide adequate service for children, Robinson-Hall added.

petrina.francis@gleanerjm.com