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Dodds Accused of Failing ‘Deviants’

The blogmaster congratulates Voice of Barbados for keeping the issue of a dysfunctional Government Industrial School (GIS) in the public eye. Barbadians are known for having short memories. The outrage expressed by callers and panelists on the ‘Return to Dodds‘ show hosted by veteran journalist David Ellis is merited although it maybe a case of…

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The blogmaster congratulates Voice of Barbados for keeping the issue of a dysfunctional Government Industrial School (GIS) in the public eye. Barbadians are known for having short memories. The outrage expressed by callers and panelists on the ‘Return to Dodds‘ show hosted by veteran journalist David Ellis is merited although it maybe a case of appeasement for the sake of satisfying good conscience. The injustices meted out to residents of GIS and before the name change has been bandied about in the public domain for decades. Then again the residents of GIS are from the bottom socioeconomic bracket, NTSH.

What is happening at the GIS is reflective of a decadence and lackadaisical way to addressing problems prevalent in society- outdated laws, redundant systems and most of all a lack of leadership. It exposes the inability of our people to efficiently manage our affairs given a significant investment in formal education post-independence.

Where is the conscience of a people who for decades look the other way when young people suffering from behavioural challenges are treated inhumanely at Dodds?

Listen for yourself.

https://downtobrasstacks.castos.com/episodes/brasstacks-apr-20th-2022

224 responses to “Dodds Accused of Failing ‘Deviants’”

  1. TheOGazerts Avatar
    TheOGazerts

    But ‘backbone’ would remove the punch of the phrase and would not deliver the desired response.

  2. BAJE Avatar
    BAJE

    Wherever this minister goes, chaos follows… water, energy, Dodds, GIS,

    Xxxxxxxxxx

    TOO BUSY AT STRIP CLUBS ON THE 2 X 3 ISLAND WHERE HE GETS TO PLAY OUT HIS ‘DEVIANCY’ ON A REGULAR BASIS WITH FOREIGN YOUNG GIRLS PRIMARILY.

    PICK SENSE FROM NONSENSE

  3. TheOGazerts Avatar
    TheOGazerts

    I fully agree that words do matter and that it is wrong to play to stereotypes.

    How are you? How is your day going?

  4. BAJE Avatar
    BAJE

    Excerpt taken from Adrian Green’s Article

    “Leave the 11-Plus and Nelson alone,” “Political third parties are a waste of time.” The waste is the time, energy and resources used to prop up systems and mindsets that don’t serve us.
    Barbados has a culture of systems and mindsets that were designed to exploit

    Xxxxxxxxxxxx

    THIS IS PLAYED OUT ON BU REGULARLY BY PEOPLE WITH A BACKWARD MINDSET THAT WOULD PREFER TO KEEP THE STATUS QUO AND WOULD REFER TO OTHERS AS BEING ILLITERATE.

    PICK SENSE FROM NONSENSE.

  5. Donna Avatar
    Donna

    As I said before, kudos to Marsha for forcing this issue. She stated her frustration with lack of progress in this matter and her intention to move back to Canada. I thought she was abandoning the cause. Little did I know that it was a strategic move!

    The woman is impressive! Shining the spotlight from afar, in the international arena will put pressure enough to burst pipe, I think.

    After all, how can we demand reparatory justice from international abusers while we continue to enable child abusers in our midst?

    How can we demand justice for our black brothers and sisters worldwide, when we offer no justice here?

    As my soul brother stated, as he ALWAYS DID (but “some” are hard-headed and take time to understand) we need to shed our slavemaster big bully mindset towards each other FIRST. All changes will fail if we don’t.

    And which former slavemaster, former colonial master or current neo-colonial master will take us seriously otherwise?

    Or, better yet, why SHOULD they?

    P.S. I see “some” have finally come to understand too that often, remaining silent is tantamount to dishonesty.

    Better late than never, TheO! You go, boy!

  6. Donna Avatar
    Donna

    Theo,

    Then you need to create a new punchline. That punch is hitting the wrong target..

    I am fine. My day is going fine.

    I hope you are well too.

  7. Donna Avatar
    Donna

    And before Baje accuses me of remaining silent – I have heard the rumours but have no evidence. As a rule, I am not one who embraces gossip. There is no-one whom I know and trust who can present me with first-hand testimony.

  8. Hants Avatar
    Hants

    There was an increase in the number of sexual abuse cases reported to the Child Care Board (CCB) in March.

    In some situations, said senior child care officer Roxanne Sanderson, the minors were abused at the hands of a parent’s partner or by strangers.

    “For the first quarter of the year, the sexual abuse cases increased as well as the physical abuse cases, so we are seeing more reported cases coming in because more persons are reporting. If we had six or eight cases of sexual abuse in February, we had about 16 cases reported in March, so they significantly went up,” she said.

    https://www.nationnews.com/nationnews/news/2022/05/01/reports-child-abuse/

  9. TheOGazerts Avatar
    TheOGazerts

    Glad to see you here and displaying your fine sense of reason..
    You, go girl.
    ——x—–
    Can you imagine taking a ‘meat and potato guy’ to a fine french restaurant and handing him a menu?

    boeuf et pomme de terre
    “What nonsense is this? Where is the beef? Who spells beef with an o and a u? What does a menu has to do with terror?

    Not hard-headed .. just want to hear the sweet sounding poetry of “meat and potatoes and gravy”. I leave the finer dishes on the table …

    There is so much that we can rail against without making things up.

    Also, some jockeys like to mount a dead horse. The big lie should always be challenged, but if you go after the small ones as well, you might never have a horse in the race

  10. BAJE Avatar
    BAJE

    And before Baje accuses me of remaining silent – I have heard the rumours but have no evidence. As a rule, I am not one who embraces gossip. There is no-one whom I know and trust who can present me with first-hand testimony.

    xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

    I DON’T DO GOSSIP.

    I HAVE OBSERVED FIRST HAND WHILST PREVIOUSLY LIVING ON THE 2 x 3 ISLAND.

  11. Sargeant Avatar
    Sargeant

    A panel has been appointed to conduct a full departmental inquiry into operations at the Government Industrial School (GIS), Minister of Home Affairs and Information, Wilfred Abrahams announced Saturday.
    ++++++++
    Is this the same Minister that barely two weeks ago cleared the Institution of all charges emanating from complaints about mistreatment of its charges?

    In most countries this turn of events would be grounds for dismissal or resignation, but dismissal would be an admission of the fallibility of the PM and resignation well “not bout hay”

    Waiting for someone to remind me of 61 love.

  12. Hants Avatar
    Hants

    @ Sargeant who wrote ” In most countries this turn of events would be grounds for dismissal or resignation ”

    Barbados is just beyond your imagination.

    Ministers don’t resign or get dismissed.

  13. African Online Publishing Copyright ⓒ 2022. All Rights Reserved Avatar
    African Online Publishing Copyright ⓒ 2022. All Rights Reserved

    “A nation of cowards will feast on the weak, the poor and it’s children.”

    that’s all they have done for half century and would want to blame it on every other country….that is not in direct control of the dispensing of justice through THEIR local government controlled judicial system…

  14. Donna Avatar
    Donna

    Baje,

    If so, that is very distressing. The foxes could then be said to be in charge of protecting the hen house.

    How long ago was this?

  15. BAJE Avatar
    BAJE

    How long ago was this?

    Xxxxxxxxxxxxxx

    I OBSERVED THIS IN 2014 AND 2015 TIME PERIOD

  16. BAJE Avatar
    BAJE

    As my soul brother stated, as he ALWAYS DID (but “some” are hard-headed and take time to understand) we need to shed our slavemaster big bully mindset towards each other FIRST. All changes will fail if we don’t.

    xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

    YOU BETTER WARN YOUR LOCAL SOUL BROTHER ON THE 2 x 3 ISLAND ADRIA GREEN THAT HE MUST BE CAREFUL BEFORE HE TOO IS RUN OFF THE ISLAND FOR SPEAKING TRUTH AND REALITY.

    HE WILL SOON BE MENTIONED AS A THROW A SHADE CREW MEMEBER WHO MEANS NOTHING GOOD FOR THE ISLAND.

  17. Bush Tea Avatar
    Bush Tea

    @ Sarge
    “In most countries this turn of events would be grounds for dismissal or resignation, but dismissal would be an admission of the fallibility of the PM and resignation well “not bout hay”
    ~~~~~~~~~~~~
    You are mixing metaphors boss…

    How do you expect to compare what happens in ‘most countries’ with what happens in our ‘Tree’ which produces a special kind of BB fruit? We grow them year-round boss… and the tree is overflowing at this time… as you can see.

    Ask yourself this basic question…
    Who in charge of ANYTHING to do with children, have any successful history with their OWN, or with OTHER people’s children?
    …and who have ANY children of their own to start with…

    LOL
    No experience needed – NOT in this ‘C****tree ……any brass bowl will do bout here…

  18. African Online Publishing Copyright ⓒ 2022. All Rights Reserved Avatar
    African Online Publishing Copyright ⓒ 2022. All Rights Reserved

    Bushman……hold on tight, the ride will start shortly.

  19. Donna Avatar
    Donna

    Baje,

    Too recent for my comfort!

  20. David Avatar
    David

    Call to move GIS girls
    MINISTER OF HOME AFFAIRS and Information Wilfred Abrahams is being urged to move the girls at the centre of conflict within the Government Industrial School (GIS) from any “potentially dangerous situations” rather than awaiting a six-week enquiry.
    Women’s rights advocate and former deputy chairman of the Government Industrial School for girls, Dr Marsha Hinds, said yesterday that the minister had the legal power to act now.
    Saying she was not against the probe announced on Saturday, Hinds said there was “no need to expend an additional six weeks with another investigation” because there is enough academic literature and letters over the years to provide insights on what the issues were.
    Hinds was hopeful the inquiry led by former Deputy Commissioner of Police Oral Williams would lead to changes but was also “pessimistic given the historical overlay of how we have treated to the Government Industrial School”.
    “There have been several reports written about the space that is the Government Industrial School. The University of the West Indies has done some, UNICEF has done some. We understand what the issues are . . . . The Minister did not tell us this investigation was going to be a precursor to any specific changes that are being sought to be made at the Government Industrial School. He just said an investigation would be done,” she said. Hinds said there were “some notable absences from the team” such as representatives from the Child Care Board, the Ministry of Education and an independent advocate representing the children and parents so they could be heard.
    On Saturday, following a series of attempted breakoutS and a breakout and complaints about the institution, Abrahams announced that the investigative panel would examine issues of policies and practices, activities, and the curriculum and would hear from the wards, staff, and the public.
    “If we do another investigation and six weeks from now we are not into solutions mode, then nothing changes for the children of the Government Industrial School. The law that govern the reformatory school and juvenile offenders in Barbados are very archaic but if it is one thing that both those laws do is give the minister a tremendous amount of power to directly intervene in the lives of the children at the Government Industrial School.
    Triggered an investigation
    “This is the second time in short order that the minister has triggered an investigation at Government
    Industrial School, and I think that natural justice demands that you cannot trigger two investigations in such a short period of time and not remove the children that you have in that institution until you are clear that nothing is wrong. And the minister has the power to do that because the Act gives him the power.
    “I think if the minister really wanted the confidence of Barbadians he would have to create an environment where a reasonable investigation can be done by paying attention to the safety of the children . . . . that are still stuck in this system,” she said.
    Meantime, Amanda Lynch-Foster, president of Soroptimist International of Barbados, which runs the New Horizons programme at GIS, said they welcomed the announcement of the inquiry “as we’ve been profoundly concerned by recent and recurring allegations surrounding the school”.
    The programme was suspended since January 2021 when the second COVID-19 lockdown went into effect but they were “anxious to restart in some shape or form”.
    The president said they “inquired a good few times” about restarting it since schools reopened for face-to-face classes “but as recently as April 11, when our programme action officer inquired, we were told GIS wasn’t allowing face to face engagements with the girls”.
    “In the medium term, we are actually hopeful that the probe will lead to us being able to engage even more as we noted the minister’s promises that a holistic curriculum is to be developed that facilitates the academic and social development of the residents of the GIS.
    “This is in line with the work we have been doing all along at GIS with New Horizons, with our Hibiscus Literacy Programme and the library we set up there. We are very, very interested in and committed to supporting and augmenting such a curriculum or programme and we’d expect as a long-standing partner that our involvement will be solicited. But we won’t just be sitting and waiting to be asked as we are in the process of communicating same to the Minister of Home Affairs,” Lynch-Foster said. ( GBM)

    Source: Nation

  21. African Online Publishing Copyright ⓒ 2022. All Rights Reserved Avatar
    African Online Publishing Copyright ⓒ 2022. All Rights Reserved

    Pappy show…time wasters….money wasters to feed political pimps…

  22. BAJE Avatar
    BAJE

    The Minister did not tell us this investigation was going to be a precursor to any specific changes that are being sought to be made at the Government Industrial School. He just said an investigation would be done,” she said. Hinds said there were “some notable absences from the team” such as representatives from the Child Care Board, the Ministry of Education and an independent advocate representing the children and parents so they could be heard.

    xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

    THIS IS THE LEVEL POLITICIANS ON THE 2 x 3 ISLAND OPERATE AT THINKING THEY CAN RUN FOR COVER BY SUGGESTING A COMITTEE OR INVESTIGATIVE TEAM AND PUT TOGETHER PEOPLE WHO WILL CONTINUE THIS ONGOING COVERUP AND SHENIGANS.

    NTSH

  23. Donna Avatar
    Donna

    Yesterday I read in The Trinidad Express of a “heartbroken” minister of government who has now discovered, via an official investigation, the prevalence of abuse at Trinidad’s children’s homes and other institutions.

    But in Barbados, we have none! Never!

    I got a bridge in the Sahara desert to sell. Anybody buying?

  24. BAJE Avatar
    BAJE

    But in Barbados, we have none! Never!

    Xxxxxxxx

    WE WILL SOON BE WELCOMING YOU AS A LOCAL MEMBER OF THROW A SHADE CREW.

    LOL

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