Penalties for child abuse to be reviewed

The Ministry of Youth and Culture has asked the Ministry of Justice to conduct an audit as well as review penalties stipulated for child abuse in the laws governing the care and protection of children.

Minister of Youth and Culture Lisa Hanna says this was one of several measures proposed during a recent meeting between both ministries to discuss tougher penalties for child abuse offences.

Nine hundred and ninety cases of child abuse were reported to the Office of the Children’s Registry (OCR) in March this year, while 1,037 cases were reported in April.

Miss Hanna says there appears to be an emerging culture of child abuse in the country and adds that there needs to be serious convictions and other sanctions for persons found guilty.