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Ministry of Equity, Social Justice & Empowerment Denounces Hogtying of Minor

Director of Human Services, Beverly-Ann Poyotte
Director of Human Services, Beverly-Ann Poyotte

A viral video portraying a child tied up and allegedly disciplined has drawn the ire of the Director of Human Services, Beverly-Ann Poyotte.

In an official statement, The Ministry of Equity, Social Justice and Empowerment confirmed that they were aware of a viral video circulating on social media, depicting the somewhat hogtying of a juvenile male, in what apparently was an attempt at restraint and disciplining of the said minor.

According to the release, whereas the Division of Human Services will always advocate for proper and measured disciplinary actions in relation to child rearing, the Division strongly denounces the actions depicted in the video.

“We know parenting is never an easy task and comes with several challenges, especially in a fast pace, modern and ever-changing world, notes the Director of Human Services, Beverly-Ann Poyotte.

The Division recognizes that often times, parents, guardians and other caregivers are pushed to the brink and are left bewildered in their attempts to raise and adequately discipline those in their care.  However, the Division wishes to remind the public that support services are available to assist in dealing with such challenging situations.

“Whereas we cannot in good conscience condone the action of the individuals in the video, we want to assure all parents and guardians and Saint Lucians in general who are struggling to raise and administer proper care and discipline to minors, that the Ministry and its specialized services remain available and accessible to them,” states Poyotte.

The Ministry of Equity, Social Justice and Empowerment wishes to remind Saint Lucians that in our attempts to rectify bad behavior, indiscipline and violence, we must ensure that we ourselves do not fall into the trap of becoming perpetrators of such social ills.

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