Betty-Ann Blaine - Gleaner file photo
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By Kimone Witter
Child rights advocate Betty-Ann Blaine has recommended the establishment of community daycare centres to prevent parents leaving their children unsupervised at home.
Her suggestion comes against the background of the Child Protection & Family Services Agency (CPFSA) urging parents and guardians to be mindful of their obligations to protect their children, with schools now on Christmas break.
She says the setting up of these safe spaces should be the responsibility of the government.
According to Mrs Blaine, the call for community daycare centres has been made for several years as a solution for parents who believe they have no other choice but to leave their children home alone.
She said the centres would allow children to gather safely with adults to supervise them while they engage in positive and enriching experiences.
She added that the government could utilise police youth clubs as well as engage NGOs and churches to provide these kinds of solutions.
But Mrs Blaine argued that for the conversation to move forward, there has to be a cultural shift in people's views on child protection and safety.
"The public education cannot be in the middle of Christmas that we're talking about this. We should be talking about it to the children in schools before the holidays, at the PTA meetings...and there has to be a cultural shift," she insisted.
She was speaking Monday on the Morning Agenda on Power 106.
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