Registry Alone Cannot Protect Children Says Liddie

By Tahna Weston

tahna.weston@antiguaobserver.com

Pastor Kevin Liddie is of the opinion that the Sex Offenders Registry alone cannot protect children, calling for stronger safeguards and coordinated support.

Liddie speaking during Observer Radio’s Big Issues programme, described child sexual abuse as an evil that no institution should shield.

“It is wicked and there’s no justification whatsoever for it. No excuse. And when it happens in a home, a school, a sporting organisation, a community, or even in a church, we must never protect an institution or an individual at the expense of a child,” Liddie said.

Turning to the registry itself, Liddie said it has value but limited reach.

He said a registry only identifies offenders who have already been caught, leaving other risks unaddressed.

“My answer is yes, it can be a tool, but it cannot be the only tool. What about the child who has been groomed right now? What about the offender who has never been caught? What about the child who is afraid to speak? A registry alone cannot solve these problems,” Liddie said.

Liddie called for child education on boundaries and grooming, delivered from an early age. He said children must be encouraged to keep speaking out until they are heard.

“We have to teach our children at an age-appropriate level and beginning as early as possible about their bodies, boundaries, inappropriate behaviour, grooming, and secrets. Keep telling until somebody listens because sometimes the first adult doesn’t even believe them,” the pastor stressed.

Every organisation that works with children needs strong safeguarding rules, Liddie said, including churches.

He said protecting a child must take priority over an institution’s reputation. Liddie called for a coordinated response involving several professions.

Liddie identified silence as the main force allowing abuse to continue.

“Every organisation dealing with children needs strong safeguarding policies, churches included. If we genuinely believe a child may be in danger, protecting that child must come before protecting anybody’s reputation. We need trained police officers, social workers, counsellors, doctors and we also need prosecutors who understand these cases.

“Sexual abuse survives in secrecy. It survives when families cover it up. It survives when institutions protect themselves,” Liddie noted.

Liddie closed by cautioning against relying on a public list alone and pointed to the scale of reported abuse in Antigua and Barbuda as evidence more must be done.

“Let us not fool ourselves into believing that publishing a list means our children are now safe. 200 and something cases of abuse being reported for a hundred thousand people population is madness,” he said.