Education officials will discuss sexual abuse encountered by students during a two-day symposium on Thursday.
The Ministry of Education, Science, Technology and Innovation said the symposium entitled “Student Victims of Sexual Abuse” will be held under the theme “Let’s talk…Student Victims of Sexual Abuse” and will target over 100 principals, guidance counsellors, senior teachers, education officers and tutors, particularly those from Erdiston Teachers’ Training College.
UNICEF’s Representative for Barbados and the Eastern Caribbean, Khin-Sandi Lwin, will deliver opening remarks on the first day of the symposium.
The two-day event will also target educators in the public and private secondary schools and will draw attention to what is being seen at the level of public and private primary schools.
The organisers said there would be presentations on symptoms of sexual abuse in students; how to manage disclosure or suspicions of sexual abuse and a plenary session on the draft mandatory reporting protocol on child abuse.
“A key objective of the symposium is to sensitise participants about sexual abuse, its impacts and ways to address these.
“It also aims to ensure that the education and training of principals, teachers, guidance counsellors, social workers and allied professionals reflect an understanding of and sensitivity to the needs and concerns of student victims/survivors of sexual abuse,” the ministry said in a statement.
