Media Callaloo

The Plight of Our Future

2011-06-01T16:00:00.005-04:00

The country as seen its share of child abuse cases from 1998 with Akiel Chambers, Amy Anamunthoodo, Sean Luke, Parmanan Persaud, Dane Andrews, and Lily Seepersad, in 2006, then we lost Hope Arismandez in 2008 and Tecia Henry in 2009. For 2011 tears followed for Daniel Guerra. Nonetheless, the systems responsible for dealing with these cases are not effective, and as a result these children are placed in a system that all too often fails them. One such system is the education system which struggles to provide a comfort zone for students to learn.

In the tucked away villages of our rural areas, teachers come face to face with the psychological effects of the horrors endured by their students. From infants to S.E.A, these students are fighting a battle to succeed academically with burdens on their shoulders. Incest, molestation, rape and neglect are topics most teachers are not trained in, but for these teachers they have no choice but to be innovation in order to help their students overcome their trials and strive for a better tomorrow.

A source at one school stated that most of the teachers are not trained to deal with the level of abuse present at the school and as a result are left to create inventive ways to help the children. According to the Ministry of Education the prerequisites for obtaining a Teachers’ Registration Number are at least five CXC or GCE “O” Level passes, valid proof of identification, a birth certificate, a Teachers’ Registration certificate and two testimonials. At an academic level teachers are taught basic Psychology and basic academic subjects like Mathematics, English, Science and Social Studies. But the major concern is how effect is the Psychology training when dealing with severely abused children. To help ease the burdens of the teachers of abused children, The Ministry of Education has implemented the Student Support Service, which consists of 46 counsellors, and 71 guidance officers allocated to 111 primary and 125 secondary schools. However, it is noticeable that this ratio is not very effective; additionally, simple counselling is not the answer to this very urgent issue, and much more must be done, to save the future of the nation.

According to one male teacher the process employed by schools when dealing with an abused child depends on different factors, particularly the type and degree of abuse, and in most cases it’s a “sea-saw” reaction between the police and the social worker. But the basic procedure requires the teacher to firstly record the suspected abuse, forward it to the principal who in turn reports it to the relative authorises. However, this procedure may be deemed unless at times, but speaking from experience he stated that in cases of severe sexual abuse it is very difficult, since evidence and parental permission is involved. Nevertheless, the underlining element involved when dealing with an abused child is communication, something he learned with time. He said that in the beginning when dealing with his early cases he allowed his emotions to get the better of him, something he realised he should not have allowed to happen. Today he says his rapport with his students is very strong and trustworthy. They respect him but know that he is there to help. As a standard five teacher he is exposed to the issues involved with the transitional age, both psychologically and physically, he says its difficult at times especially since his students mature a bit faster that the average child. Nonetheless, his experience with child abuse has driven him to pursue a degree in psychology unlike his co-workers who choose the basic degree in education.

So what exactly is the nature of abuse present at these schools? A bit hesitant he says they experience everything, from sexual, verbal, emotional and financial abuse. He speaks of one incident in which three male students were involved in a fight and he took them to the said room in which this interview was conducted, the computer lab. Corporal punishment has been abolished yet in some severe cases teachers still employ the action for disciplinary purposes. He recalls the incident step by step, the three boys sitting in the room being questioned on their actions. Then he stops and sighs, saying that when he asked the boys whether they would prefer to be scolded at school or have they parents summoned, they children begged him to scold them instead. Confused, he asked why; his recalling of their answers shocks me. “ sir my mother does beat me with whatever she have in her hand...my father does beat me with a big stone and kick meh up”.

According to the constitution of Trinidad and Tobago Unified Teachers Association 1.08 “a teacher shall take all reasonable care to protect the safety and welfare of students” so his decision to stop and listen to his students’ stories was indeed the right one. From an early age this male teacher was inspired to join the profession by his former teachers, who displayed exceptional dedication, and interest in their job. He says teachers today only see the job as a means of an income, since they no longer possess the devotion to educate and care for the future generation.

Failure of the systems, have left too many children in grief and lost in society. As in most abuse cases the parents come from illiterate backgrounds. As wrong as it may be to stigmatize the quality of education transmitted at various schools the reality of our society is such that most believe that the seven-year schools are better that the five-year schools. Since this cultural stigma has been embedded in the mindsets of individuals from generation to generation it is difficult to convince them otherwise, despite the conversion of the Junior Secondary Schools to seven-year Government Secondary Schools. The students who unfortunately are placed in such schools are left to fight these stigmas and in most cases they become what the stigmas placed by society predicts. These are students who drop out by age sixteen or only reach form three. For these students this is the inevitable result, which allows them to be victims of other forms of abuse; child labour.

In these villages there are many farms, and other trade oriented work places. These organizations facilitates the young dropouts who can’t cope with the basic academics requirements by employing them “off-the-books” and pay them less than minimum wage. But, for any sixteen year old boy any amount of money is better than studying for examinations.

For the girls, their stories are even sadder. Most are adding to the rising statistics of teenage pregnancy. They are victims of rape, molestation and incest. Having matured physically faster than the average teen these girls become prey to the ill-minds of these villages, including their fathers, and brothers. According to a source at the school the children are exposed to sexual activities at very young age. Most come from a small home and try to imitate what they saw their parents doing the night before. The sad reality is that most of these students are in infants, and by the time they enter standard five they know all to well the details of a sexual relationship and are very enthusiastic to experiment with both their female and male classmates. The cycle begins to start over, the new generation of abusers are the victims of abuse who don’t know better, who are angry with the world for they situations, who’s childhoods were torn away by those responsible for their welfare and safety.

According to the 2008 statistics gather by the Rape Crisis Society there were 229 new cases of reported rape, from which 60 percent of the victims belonged to the 12 to 26 age group. The same report also indicates that there were 81 cases of child sexual abuse. Additionally, The Coalition against Domestic Violence which operates the free and confidential telephone hotline “Childline” which is geared at assisting children of abuse reported that they received a total of 9,475 calls for the year 2008, 46 percent being girls and 54 percent boys.

Laws have been implemented to help deal with these situations and allow for a better environment and support system for abused children but still the nation is plagued by this heartbreaking reality. The Ministry of Social Development has reported that they have registered a total of 38 homes for children nationwide. However, according to Catholic missionary Sherri Ramirez who manages the Heart of Mary Care Centre in Toco in an article published in the Trinidad Express on January 26 2009 the number of children abandoned in recent years was higher and research has not been done to provide the best care for these children. The article also highlights that the Ministry of Social Development was focused on establishing stronger families and a support system to assist the family in keeping the children in their family homes, instead of removing the children from the abused environment.

http://www.trinidadexpress.com/news/Working_to_save_abandoned_children-115465664.html

Additionally, there is also concern surrounding the environment of some of the homes designed to serve as a rescue facility as expressed in the case of the St Mary's Children's Home in Tacarigua whereby there were allegations of physical, verbal, sexual and mental abuse at the home last year. http://www.trinidadexpress.com/news/98582279.html

On the other hand there are many non-governmental organizations dedicated to answering the plight of the nations’ children; however there is only so much they can actually do. The future of the nation is currently facing many horrors, and those responsible for them are either the cause of their worries or simply not qualified to help. The teacher, social workers, police officers, foster homes and parents are failing the future generation with their lack expertises.

It is 2:30pm, the bell rings and everyone packs to leave, they say good byes, with sadden eyes but they still smile, the comfort of a safe environment leaves them as they head home to horrors that await them.

We're Cooking.....

2011-05-25T18:09:00.004-04:00

"Take the test, take control"

2010-06-25T12:39:00.009-04:00

National HIV Testing Day, June 27 is an annual oberservance to promote HIV Testing.

The global HIV/AIDS epidemic is an unprecedented crisis that
requires an
unprecedented response. In particular it requires solidarity --
between the
healthy and the sick, between rich and poor, and above all, between
richer
and poorer nations. We have 30 million orphans already. How many more do
we
have to get, to wake up?" ...Kofi Annan

Statistics for HIV/AIDS in Trinidad and Tobago
Population, 2008 1,300,000
People living with HIV/AIDS, 2007 14,000
Women (aged 15+) with HIV/AIDS, 2007 7,700
Children with HIV/AIDS, 2007 nd
Adult HIV prevalence (%), 2007 1.5
AIDS deaths, 2007 nd
nd = No data
Source: Population Reference Bureau & UNAIDS

"No war on the face of the Earth is more destructive than the AIDS pandemic."
Colin Powell
Know your status get tested....TODAY

May 24 2010 Trinidad and Tobago are you ready!!!

2010-05-23T21:30:00.011-04:00

Last election 990,467 electorates were eligible to vote

Only 653,228 voted

This election 1,022,519 electorates are eligible to vote

We stand today at a crossroads:One part leads to despair
and utter hoplessness. The other to total extinction. Let us hope we have the
wisdom to make the right choice.
Wooden Alllen

The ignorance of one voter in a democracy impairs the security of all.
John F. Kennedy

World Press Freedom Day 2010

2010-05-03T10:46:00.006-04:00

Food for Thought

-"Freedom of expression is a fundamental human right, enshrined in article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. But around the world, there are Governments and those wielding power who find many ways to obstruct it. All Governments have a duty to protect those who work in the media." Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon Message for World Press Freedom Day 2010

-The theme for this year's World Press Freedom Day is Freedom of Information. Trinidad and Tobago has an FIOA but exactly how effective is it? Does the public have the freedom to obtain any form of information from the government?
http://www.foia.gov.tt/

-As of 2009 Trinidad and Tobago was ranked 28th on the Press Freedom Index.
http://en.rsf.org/press-freedom-index-2009,1001.html

-For the year 9 journalist were killed, and 168 imprisoned worldwide.

-Have you ever heard of Eritrea? Ranked last on the press freedom index this country has very little press freedom. It is ranked the fourth worst jailer of journalist behind China and Iran.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/country_profiles/1070813.stm

- "Online journalism has changed the media landscape and the way we communicate with each other," said CPJ Executive Director Joel Simon. "But the power and influence of this new generation of online journalists has captured the attention of repressive governments around the world, and they have accelerated their counterattack."
http://cpj.org/reports/2008/12/cpjs-2008-prison-census-online-and-in-jail.php

What does Press Freedom mean to you?

What do you think??

2010-03-14T20:01:00.007-04:00

So yet again i decided to read the newspaper, and yet again i found an article that just tore through my skin with rage. I have no problem with an individual having HIV, indeed it is unfortunate, but i do have a problem with an individual having the virus and continuing with their reckless ways. The following article was taken from the Sunday Express, and personal I believe she needs to be arrested and her children taken away. But I want to know what you think.

http://www.trinidadexpress.com/index.pl/article_news?id=161608082

Carnival 2K10

2010-02-08T20:58:00.006-04:00

Yes carnival is here, the greatest show on earth.
The music, the mass, the freedom and ................babies at fetes.
What?
Yes...
To our surprise the age limit for attending parties have dropped. Apparently the promoters and planners of the Soca Star finals at Jean Pierre Complex on Sunday, did not specify the age criteria for the event.
Confused?
Well they say a picture says a thousand words and therefore we shall leave you to tell the story.

These are the parents of our nation.

Newsday strikes again

2010-01-20T15:40:00.010-04:00

Ethical journalists treat sources, subjects and colleagues as human beings deserving of respect.

But do our journalists abide to this?
Well you be the judge.
For the past week Haiti has been on every news channel worldwide, with the gruesome footage of dead bodies, the miraculous rescues and the endless complains for inadequate supplies. Yet, nothing had prepared us for the front-page of Tuesday’s Newsday.
Nothing could have been more unethical.
Exactly what was Newsday thinking, what was the rationale for choosing such a photo?
We are speechless….

Haiti’s Grief

2010-01-14T16:32:00.015-04:00

Tears, blood, debris and death, these are the unfortunate elements that currently plague the island of Haiti, in the aftermath of Tuesday’s earthquake. As a result most countries worldwide are pledging assistance in whatever way possible. However, as the tragedy hits newsstands worldwide so are the heartaches and despair faced by these Haitians. The loving and caring media houses that eagerly await the perfect shot of the distraught mother or the poor infant trapped beneath the rumble have indeed out done themselves.

For Trinidad the nominees for most unethical newspaper are:

The Trinidad Newsday

The Trinidad Guardian

The Trinidad Express

And the award goes to........

The Newsday, for they have managed to pollute 7 of their pages from page 3 to 19 with the faces of the Haiti’s grief.

Hats off to you once again you have provided substantial evidence for your lack of ethics.

Trinidad and Tobago Environment

2010-01-14T15:52:00.004-04:00

Trinidad and Tobago Through Its Media

2009-11-16T21:48:00.005-04:00

Photo courtesy

http://awmusic.ca/1/photos//HLIC/250d64a726bdcc113e24ab56e01c9093.gif

Ethics in Trinidad Media

2009-11-10T20:27:00.011-04:00

Social Networking Sites and Society

2009-10-30T22:10:00.004-04:00

complied by Media Callaloo

Do You Know Who You're Chatting With?

2009-10-17T23:32:00.048-04:00

wallacetm15May 05, 2007
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sJpyhY4ZhS8

The word 'identity' is simply put as the condition of being oneself or itself, and not another (Dictionary.com). So what does identity have to do with the internet? Well, the internet creates an environment in which users can become whoever they want to be, without anyone ever knowing the difference.

So when a user is presented with a new account or profile, it can be compared to having a blank canvas to work with. In creating this new online identity the media is very influential in the development of this.

It will be sufficed to say that in creating a social network account whether, it is to the likes of Facebook, MySpace, Twitter, Gmail or any other internet society, our identity can and will be easily altered by the 'media/internet-saturated’ society we live in. This invariably means we can become who we want, when we want with new identities shaped by what we see, read, hear or discover along the path of the digital era.

In real life young children can change their identity throughout puberty and then have different identities when they cross the line into adulthood. Moreover, in the virtual world our identity is something constructed over time and subsequently can be frequently updated or revamped according to our personal preferences.

Within this philosophy however, it is crucial to understand that identity is not a fixed thing and is just as difficult to maintain as it is in creating one in the first instance. Actually, a second life seems to offer us many things that we are deprived of in our first, mainly being liberty to portray ourselves through our avatars in any way which we may so desire.

So friends I leave you with the notion that while it may be fun creating new identities as a regular means of self expression or even escapism it can also be dangerous to the effect that often striking a balance between the personal identity and the virtual identity may become somewhat difficult.

How private is Private?

2009-10-11T11:44:00.008-04:00

gregorrohrig May 29, 2007 (Youtube)

Picture courtesy of http://collegecandy.files.wordpress.com

Does joining a site like Facebook automatically mean that you relinquish all rights to privacy? Why not when the very nature of the site is to place what ever personal information you wish online. Is it not your choice to put up what ever information you please on this type of social networking site? Then why is Facebook faced with so much criticism relating to the privacy setting?

It is universally known that Facebook is the place where you can read about any bacchanalia going on between friends, watch the pictures and videos of certain misbehaving individuals at the “lime” you missed out on last night, or the place where you get instant updates on the relationship status of your friends and family so that you know when is a good time to make a move on that cute girl or guy. Obviously we do have the choice of not placing any personal information on the site but then would Facebook as we know it be Facebook? Would it be as fun and as entertaining as it is? Would it be as popular as it is if we refused to put personal information on the site? Facebook is about updating, sharing and adding friends and the more we do it the more fun the actual site is. Let’s face it, if every individual were to administer the most stringent privacy setting Facebook might as well be dead and buried.

Even though we do have a choice, are we not being taken advantage of by the social networks? What exactly happens to the information entered into Facebook? Take for example joining a network. Facebook recognizes the network you have joined and sends a stream of advertisements specific to your particular network. Clearly our information is being used by Facebook to target us and encourage us to spend money.

Picture courtesy of sickfacebook.com/tag/privacy/

Facebook users usually think because they have the highest form of security on there profile means that they are safe, however you should always think twice about sharing photos. These photos can easily be copied by a person who has access to your facebook page and broadcast to the entire online world. Even with the highest form of security photos of you can be exposed to friends and family and eventually, once you have realized that you have been tagged in a photo it is too late the online world has already bared witness to the most likely scandalous photos you would rather no one have seen. But how many of us have actually taken the time to implement Facebook’s solution to this problem? Their solution to block everyone from viewing tagged photo. How many of us even know of such a privacy setting?

Picture courtesy of sickfacebook.com/tag/privacy/

You know those funny pointless quizzes and games that we all enjoy playing on Facebook? Well these applications we love so much have full access to data on our Facebook profiles. This is perhaps the most annoying issue faced with this site. Just what exactly would these third party developers want with our private information? Maybe this is how Facebook makes its millions, by selling our private information to third party developers.

Usually these third party developers want demographic information like our age, country, profession, relationship status, pictures and how often we use Facebook so they have a better idea of who uses their applications and how often they use it. However, is it fair that we are being sold just so that Facebook can have a new and improved quiz titled “What kind of drunk are you?”

Many people would try to remedy the problem by deleting Facebook, but does deleting your Facebook account really mean you’re safe from privacy issues? Well, deletion of a Facebook account removes all information you have placed on the site and essentially you cease to exist in the Facebook world or do you? We can’t be positively sure if our online lives have really been removed from Facebook’s database or if the social networking site has their own private files on every single one of its users at the tips of their fingers.

In the past Facebook has even had annoying “viruses” via Facebook chat that threatened the privacy of its users. Ever been off Facebook completely but yet your friend receive a variety of messages from you via Facebook chat advertising a product along with a link to another website? Or maybe you were on the other end of the stick and received a series of messages from one or many people? We must take the time to consider was this really just a mistake that the seasoned Facebook developers let slip or were these Facebook chat advertisement deliberately allowed by the developers in order to make an easy million?

The Digital World and Security

2009-10-10T19:53:00.004-04:00

xplanevisualthinkingSeptember 14, 2009 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6ILQrUrEWe8

Picture courtesy of
http://www.salwa.ws/blog/?m=200812

The new age reality that plagues our generation is compacted in every digital device known to mankind. Digitization has replaced tradition; classes can be held online via webcams, movies can now be seen in the palm of our hands and hundreds of files which once needed many filing cabinets are easily stored on a device the size of your finger. This is the reality in which we live, and everyone from four to one hundred and four years of age is moving with the ever changing trends of the rapidly growing digital world.

The digital world has made our lives easy, by having information and entertainment at our finger tips. However, it has also given us its share of problems from systems crashing to the very frightening identity theft. Has the digital age eased our day to day troubles by replacing them with lifetime horrors?

Living a fair distance from school I’m privileged to experience the task of commuting, which allows me to observe the practices of the variety of people that make up our country. One particular practice that is recurrent is one also practiced by myself, and one many can relate to. Immediately after boarding a vehicle I take out my iPod and block out the world around. This action is one practiced by every teen or young adult in society today. Last week I travelled with two cousins and a friend we occupied the entire back seat of a 24 seat maxi-taxi, and all four travelled to Port of Spain from Sangre Grande in our own world via iPod entertainment. This said practice caused the untimely death of a young man last week. He was stabbed during a robbery in which a teenager stole his cell-phone.

The lifetime horrors caused by the very popular digital world via which you read this article does not always end with DEATH, instead it leaves many in DEBT.

For many, the creation of online banking was a blessing; no more long lines, traffic and risk of being robbed. However, this blessing has left many others wishing they had stood in line instead, with their bag of money. Identity thieves and online hackers have replaced the ordinary bandit that prowls outside banks, instead these master minds crawl through your internet usage like “spiders” searching for “cookies”.

A recent report from the security firm Finjan highlighted how a Ukrainian gang stole 300,000 euros in 22 days via a Trojan virus which they released on the internet.

BBC NEWS Technology Online thieves step up bank raids

So…How safe is the digital era? Are we better off with information at our finger tips?

Or should we “bring back the ole time days”?