18
UWI TODAY
– SUNDAY 4 NOVEMBER, 2018
Researching the
CARIBBEAN CHILD
CARIBBEAN CHILD RESEARCH CONFERENCE
Professor Aldrie Henry-Lee
is the newly appointed
Director of the Sir Arthur Lewis Institute of Social and
Economic Studies at The UWI (Mona Campus). She
also serves as overall University Director of the regional
institute. She is a teacher by vocation and here shares
some of the reasons for the continuing work of the
conference:
“Our research shows that throughout the Caribbean,
there is inadequate adherence to Children’s Rights.
Children are at risk everywhere. There are groups of
children who are particularly vulnerable; children
with disabilities, street and working children; children
infected with and affected by HIV/AIDS; children living
in poverty; children living in the rural areas; children
living in violent circumstances; those who are deprived of
familial care and those who come in conflict with the law.
“Of concern is the violence meted out to children
in private and public spaces. There are large numbers of
children who are abused in the home, school, church and
the community, every day.
“Our research also reveals that there is limited
adherence to child participation rights and children‘s
opinions are not always sought in the formulation of
policies that affect them. If they are given an opportunity
to express their opinions, their suggestions are not
always implemented, even if they may be relevant and
necessary. We have not yet recognised the importance
and benefits of social investment in children, especially if
we want to ensure that the rights of children everywhere
are protected and that we leave no child behind in the
fulfilment of the UN 2030 Sustainable Development
Goals (SDGs).”
Dr Godfrey St Bernard
is a Senior Fellow at the
Sir Arthur Lewis Institute of Social and Economic
Studies, The University of the West Indies, St Augustine,
Trinidad and Tobago. A statistician by profession, his
interests include problems arising from population and
development, evaluation research and social policy. His
focus on youth and development arises from his work
on Caribbean population policy and the measurement
of social phenomena. As Chairperson of this year’s
conference, Dr St Bernard anticipates a packed schedule
for the two days.The Opening Ceremony will be followed
by the presentation of 56 adult papers and ten child
papers. Below, Dr Godfrey St Bernard answers some
questions about the conference.
What is this year’s Child Research
Conference about?
The UWI is participating in a major project entitled
“Rights for Children and Youth Partnership (RCYP)
Project”, led by Dr St Bernard. This project is supporting
research across eight countries in the Caribbean, Central
America and North America. Teams of researchers
By
Pat Ganase
Pat Ganase
is a freelance writer and editor
For the past 12 years, the
Sir Arthur Lewis Institute of Social and Economic Studies (SALISES)
has hosted the
Annual Caribbean Child Research Conference
in Jamaica. This year, the 13th conference is being hosted
at The UWI St Augustine Trinidad, on November 15-16. Previous Chair of the Conference,
Professor Aldrie Henry-Lee
,
and current Chair,
Dr Godfrey St Bernard
, here share some insights.
from universities in Canada, El Salvador, Guatemala,
Honduras, Nicaragua, the Dominican Republic, Jamaica
and Trinidad and Tobago are actively involved in research
initiatives over the period 2016-2022. Many of the RCYP
researchers will make presentations from their research
at the Child Research Conference.
Other adult presentations have emerged out of
research conducted by faculty members and graduate
students in SALISES (within the Social Policy Cluster and
the Cluster for Population and SustainableDevelopment),
and other departments from The UWI’s three physical
campuses of Mona, Cave Hill and St Augustine.
Presentations will also be delivered by researchers from
The University of T&T and the Arthur Lok Jack Graduate
School of Business.
Issues to be discussed will include:
• Health, Education and Disability: Implication for
Children’s Wellbeing
• Community Engagement and Child Protection
Agendas
• Global Declarations and the Promotion of Child
Rights in the Western Hemisphere
• Representations of Childhood Experience and
Encounters
• Violence against Adolescents/Children
• Migration and Its Impact on Children
• DataManagement Systems, Development Indicators
and Demographics: Implications for Child Policy
• Parenting and Children’s Outcomes
• Global Lessons and the Education of Children and
Youth in the Caribbean and Elsewhere
• Child Protection Systems in the Caribbean and Latin
America: Experiential Accounts and Challenges
• Incarceration and its Impact on Children
• Understanding Challenges and Interventions that
Hinder or Promote Children’s Rights andWellbeing
• Education Practices
• Child Protection Systems and Practices Impacting
Latin American and Caribbean Children: Evidence
from the Caribbean and Canada
How does the conference facilitate
meaningful participation by children?
The conference has always involved children. This
year, principals of Caribbean schools were invited to send
school teams (one teacher and four students) to witness
the conference and participate from the audience. In
addition, ten children will deliver presentations, which
will be eligible for awards.
Fifteen secondary school students from T&T and
Jamaica will chair the 14 adult panels and a Plenary
Session of public sector professionals. A child will also
introduce the President of the Republic of T&T who is
giving the keynote address.
Rapporteurs have been assigned to document and
submit written reports of conference proceedings. These
reports will also document responses of children to
papers, which will be considered in the preparation of
policy briefs for government officials and policymakers.
We are also grateful for the offers by agencies in the
public sector who have pledged internships for children
on the basis of their participation in the conference.
How are the findings made available
to the wider society?
This conference will provide participants and
stakeholder groups with research and information that
is up-to-date for issues of children’s rights and wellbeing
in Caribbean societies. Some of the research draws on
experiences in Canada, Central America and elsewhere
to bring different experiences for addressing challenges
that are faced in the Caribbean.The conference facilitates
the generation of knowledge from 56 adult-paper
presentations and 10 child-paper presentations.
The conference fosters the establishment of a website
that will host the conference presentations, many of which
are likely to be works in progress. This will be a primary
means of exposing research findings to secondary
and tertiary-level students, as well as public sector
professionals and policymakers. Rapporteurs’ notes will
be transformed into policy briefs for policymakers in the
Caribbean region. The conference will be videotaped
and recordings will be placed on the SALISES website.
For more information
Call: 662-2022 ext 82038 or 82391
Email:
Like us on FACEBOOK at
Caribbean Child Research Conference
Follow us on twitter @caribchildconf
Visit our website at:
