Licensed Master Social Worker Koren Norton
Some vulnerable children in Antigua and Barbuda are reportedly entering sexual relationships with adults to obtain school bags, shoes and other basic necessities.
Licensed master social worker Koren Norton raised the disturbing concern during Tuesday night’s National Child Protection Town Hall Meeting.
Norton, who has worked in human services for more than two decades, said young people involved in mentorship programmes have spoken about being unable to obtain essential school supplies from their families.
“I don’t have supplies for school, so I have to go out and have a sexual relationship to be able to get a school bag, to be able to get a pair of school shoes,” Norton said, recounting the experiences shared with her.
She stressed that the young people were seeking basic supplies, not expensive telephones or designer items.
According to Norton, some parents are aware that their children are entering these exploitative relationships.
She warned that children whose biological fathers are absent from their lives may become particularly vulnerable to predators, although she stressed that many single parents continue to make significant sacrifices to care for their children.
Norton said adults must also recognize that some mothers were themselves victims of abuse. While some become highly protective of their children, others remain caught in cycles of trauma and vulnerability.
She recounted the case of a 16-year-old whose mother told her that she was old enough to support herself after a new partner and baby entered the household.
The teenager was subsequently exploited by several adults. Norton said the perpetrators later pressured her to bring her 12-year-old sister to them in exchange for additional money.
Norton called for greater attention to the role played by parents and other “gatekeepers” who know that children are being exploited but fail to intervene.
She said parents must be educated to recognize warning signs, including self-harm, sudden behavioural changes, depression and withdrawal.
Norton also appealed to churches, community groups and the media to play a more active role in educating families and safeguarding children.
She said prosecuting direct perpetrators is necessary, but the country must also confront adults who knowingly allow children to remain in dangerous or exploitative situations.
I’m sure it’s for more than just school supplies, sigh so sad
Some of these parents need to get lock up
I can remember my daughter father saying from my daughter is 16 she can take care of her self ,he was always a dead beat so I send him a message saying as long as I am alive I will support my child until she is old and grey if I have to no man out there will not abuse my child because he think she is old enough to support as single parent we have to go through so mush but that doesn’t give us the right to put our children out to be abuse because we have new relationship no man born of a woman cannot come before my kids and we need to get some place where we can all support each other ,you buy a shoe of you can afford somebody buy something put all together and help some body but we are so selfish and love ugly for others the we pay a blind eye my daughter is 22 she works and if she ask me for anything I give her because I don’t want to hear her beging no nother father’s help your children the world is sick out there dont make them another prey for vultures
16 year old most of them still in school we need to move the adult age to 18, every year we need to have child support day, round up dead beat mother and father, and register the new ones, put these ppl in jail that have set with under age children, find out why children live with other relatives.
That is heartbreaking to hear. No child should feel they have to exchange their body just to get school supplies. We need to protect and support them. đź’”
Nah man, this really sad. We have to do better by these children because this should never be their reality.
This is exactly why we need to pay closer attention to what our children are going through. How did we get to this point?
And this is why the age of consent should have remain 18 or even 21 for all I care cuz let’s be honest who can survive in an economy like this on their own at 18 much less 16???
The saddest part is when grown men and women notice situations like this when teen girls are being exploited, they don’t think, they don’t help. What do they do?
They gossip and blame the children and their mothers rather than holding the true perpetrators accountable. Sickening. WE NEED TO STEP UP AS A SOCIETY AND PROTECT THE CHILDREN! This should no longer be normalized. A 16 year old is still a child!
Makes u wonder if they carry the same attitude towards 16 year old boys. They would spoil their boys, baby them up, and when comes for the real world they can’t even help themselves. Meanwhile their sisters are expected to clean and do everything around the house.
That’s why we lack real men and real fathers in society because boys were never raised to be men, they were raised to be manbabies that are entitled to be catered to. Smfh