Children's Rights Advocate, Faith Marshall-Harris, Addresses Parental Neglect in Barbados

Too many parents are placing themselves before their children, said founder of the Faith Marshall-Harris Sandy Lane Charitable Trust Children’s Helpline, Faith Marshall-Harris.

“I am encountering far too many parents who neglect to give their children the necessities for survival but who are instead partying. So many of the young parents I am encountering are spending all that they earn on things like substance abuse – as soon as they get paid, that is where it goes and nothing is left to keep the household running,” she said.

Marshall-Harris was speaking yesterday at a Barbados Association of Professional Social Workers special presentation at Warrens Office Tower, St Michael, in recognition of International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women.

She said people often told her they used drugs and other vices to escape the difficulties of life but she noted this was not the way.

“Let us not try to escape but to meet the world head-on so our children will have things like shelter and food, which are part of their rights,” she said. (CA)