标签： Barbados

As Guide Month officially gets underway, the top leader of the Girl Guides association has laid out a clear, people-centered vision for empowering young girls: meet every girl where she stands, and meet her unique needs to help her grow into the best version of herself.

Chief Commissioner Jenifer King shared this message during an opening church service Sunday at James Street Methodist Church, marking the official start of the annual celebration. In her remarks, King emphasized that no two girls enter the Girl Guides movement from the same starting line, and a one-size-fits-all approach to development has no place in the organization.

“Some girls walk through our doors already brimming with confidence, hungry to step into leadership roles, while others arrive quiet, still searching for their voice, or navigating unseen personal challenges,” King explained. “Our responsibility is not to expect every girl to start from the same place. Our responsibility is to meet her where she is, walk alongside her, and help her take the next step.”

King framed personal growth not as changing who a girl is to fit a predefined mold, but as helping each individual unlock her own unique potential. Growth can take many different forms, she noted: for some, it means finding the courage to speak up in a group setting; for others, it means mastering a new skill, stepping outside their comfort zone to try something they have never attempted before, or even learning from a mistake and having the resilience to try again. For many girls, King said, growth ultimately means discovering leadership strengths within themselves that they never knew they had. And at its core, growth is often about having someone outside yourself believe in your capabilities until you are able to believe in yourself, she added.

The Chief Commissioner also challenged adult guiders across the organization to reframe their approach, prioritizing individualized support that responds to each girl’s specific needs rather than pushing all members toward a single standard of progress. Going forward, King said, the Girl Guides association must remain committed to upholding its core guiding values while continuing to cultivate safe, inclusive spaces where every girl feels seen, valued, and empowered to grow on her own terms.

“Our goal is not simply to prepare girls for the future; it is to empower them to help shape that future,” King stressed. She also encouraged girls across the movement to actively reflect on their own growth journeys, identifying specific areas where they want to build themselves up – whether that is greater confidence, more courage, stronger relationships, deeper faith, or more effective leadership skills.

As Guide Month gets underway, King expressed her hope that the celebration will serve as a catalyst for positive change across the entire community: for participating girls, for volunteer guiders, and for the association as a whole. She said she expects the month to be a period of new discovery, renewed courage, growing confidence, and expanded opportunity for everyone involved in the Girl Guides movement.

Authorities with the Barbados Police Service have issued a public appeal for assistance as they hunt for an 18-year-old suspect who broke free from official custody over the weekend. The fugitive, identified as Trishtan Antone Barker-Savoury, escaped from holding at the Black Rock Police Station on Saturday. He is a resident of 1st Avenue, Birds River, Deacons Road, St Michael.

Law enforcement has released a detailed physical description to help members of the public identify Barker-Savoury. He stands approximately five feet nine inches tall, has a slim frame and dark complexion, with distinctive facial features including a long face, full nose and thick lips. His hair is typically described as unkempt in style. When he was last observed, the escapee was wearing a black graphic T-shirt emblazoned with the phrase “Pay Me My Money” across the chest, paired with black full-length trousers and black slip-on slippers.

Police are urging any resident who may have seen Barker-Savoury or has information about his current location to contact authorities immediately. Tips can be submitted directly to the Black Rock Police Station via phone at either 417-7500 or 417-7501. Members of the public can also reach the 24/7 police emergency line at 211, contact the anonymous Crime Stoppers hotline at 1-800-TIPS (8477), or share information with any on-duty officer at the nearest local police station.

In a public advisory, authorities have reiterated that intentionally hiding or providing aid to a person who has escaped legal custody is considered a serious criminal offense under Barbadian law. Any individual found to have harbored or assisted the fugitive will face prosecution, police confirmed.

The Barbados Boy Scouts’ Association is breaking down long-standing barriers to participation by rolling out a groundbreaking training initiative designed to make scouting accessible to boys living with disabilities. At the heart of this effort is the Learning Inclusiveness, Entrepreneurship, and Environmental Protection (LIEEP) project, which puts scout leaders through immersive, hands-on experiences that force them to confront the daily challenges disabled people navigate, equipping them with the skills and empathy needed to welcome disabled members.

Marsha-Ann Clarke, lead consultant for the LIEEP project, explained that the immersive training exercises are crafted to help leaders move beyond abstract ideas of inclusivity and understand what equitable participation looks like in practice. The ultimate outcome of this preparation is that when a young person with a disability — whether they acquired a disability later in life or were born with it — expresses interest in joining scouting, leaders are ready to welcome them without hesitation. “If a boy becomes blind, or even if there is a boy who was born blind and he wants to join Scouts, these leaders are being prepared so that they can truly say, ‘Yes, you can come. You can be a part, and we are prepared for you,’” Clarke said.

The most recent training session, held Saturday at the association’s Hazelwood Upper Collymore Rock headquarters, was the third workshop held as part of the initiative. During this session, participating leaders were blindfolded, given canes, and asked to navigate the entire headquarters complex unassisted. Clarke noted that this exercise gave leaders a new, profound understanding of the level of trust required to navigate everyday environments without sight, as well as the persistent challenges that come with visual impairment.

Clarke referenced commentary from former Senator Kerry-Ann Ifill, who describes this experience as the “walk of trust” — a process where visually impaired people must place complete trust in others while relying on their mobility aids to assess physical surroundings, from the width of doorways to changes in elevation like two-inch steps, ramps, declines, and staircases. After completing the exercise, many leaders told Clarke they had a new appreciation for just how much planning and effort goes into moving through spaces most people take for granted.

In addition to the mobility simulation, the training also introduced leaders to basic Braille and sign language, and guided them through exercises to adapt existing scouting activities and badge requirements to accommodate different accessibility needs. Clarke emphasized that the single session can only give leaders a small glimpse into the lived reality of disabled people, but the overarching goal of the initiative is to foster a culture of inclusivity that will shape the next generation of scouts, growing up with a deeper understanding of what it means to welcome all people.

Dr. David Bynoe, national coordinator for the Global Environment Facility Small Grants Program, which is implemented by the United Nations Development Program, noted that the initiative is focused on building the internal capacity of the Boy Scouts Association to welcome people from all backgrounds and ability levels. Bynoe confirmed that the program has provided approximately $100,000 in funding and specialized equipment to support the inclusivity training program.

Now in its second year, the initiative stands as an example of what cross-organizational collaboration can accomplish when groups work together to remove systemic barriers to participation. “It’s amazing what we can do if we bring everyone to the table,” Bynoe said. He added that support from global organizations like the UNDP is critical because the funding and resources they provide speed up progress that would otherwise take far longer to achieve, helping the Boy Scouts build a more inclusive movement for all young Barbadians.

A critical conversation focused on unresolved staffing tensions is scheduled to take place this Monday between leadership of the Barbados Community College (BCC) and representatives of the National Union of Public Workers (NUPW), the higher education institution has confirmed publicly.

Following receipt of a formal correspondence from the NUPW detailing the union’s official stance on ongoing workplace issues, BCC extended an invitation to union leaders to sit down for a structured, solution-focused discussion. The talks are slated to begin at 10 a.m. local time on the college’s Eyrie Campus, according to an official statement released by the institution.

The dispute stems from a recent administrative decision by BCC to end the appointments of multiple employees who were working on extended fixed-term employment contracts. In response to that move, the NUPW has formally categorized the conflict as a labor dispute and is pushing for the immediate reinstatement of all affected staff members.

The true scale of elder abuse across Barbados remains vastly underreported, with thousands of cases hidden behind closed doors and largely invisible to public and official scrutiny, according to Barbara Daniel-Goddard, chair of the regional anti-abuse nonprofit Advocates Against Domestic Abuse (AADA).

Speaking in an interview with local outlet Barbados TODAY, Daniel-Goddard emphasized that the small number of elder abuse cases covered by print and broadcast media only represent a tiny fraction of the harm occurring daily. While AADA’s core work centers on supporting survivors of intimate partner violence, the organization has seen a steady stream of inquiries from older adults who are facing abuse at the hands of their own relatives, including adult children and grandchildren. The true extent of the crisis has been revealed through conversations between AADA representatives, medical workers, charity partners, outreach teams serving vulnerable communities and survivors who have reached out directly for help.

“What we see in the news is just a drop in the bucket compared to what’s actually happening out there,” Daniel-Goddard noted. Many elderly survivors, she explained, are trapped in abusive situations by systemic gaps and personal fear. The vast majority choose not to report their abusers out of a crippling concern that if their abusive caregiver is removed, they will be left without the life-sustaining support they rely on.

“There’s a pervasive culture of fear in older communities,” she said. “When you’re aging, the fear of being abandoned, the fear of being left alone, and the question of who will care for you if you get sick – that’s what keeps people silent.” Compounding this barrier is a widespread lack of awareness among seniors about the legal protections they are entitled to under current law, leaving many without the information to advocate for themselves.

Daniel-Goddard argued that the current approach to addressing elder abuse is fundamentally incomplete. While removing abusive relatives from a senior’s home and issuing legal protection orders are critical first steps, authorities and social services have failed to put in place the long-term, individualized support survivors need to thrive after an abuser is gone. Currently, most in-home support services for seniors only offer a few hours of assistance with basic tasks like cooking and cleaning each week, which does not come close to covering all the needs of an older adult living alone. A comprehensive support plan, she said, must address everything from transportation to medical appointments and medication adherence to regular social connection that combats the crippling loneliness many isolated seniors face. Emergency infrastructure, including 24/7 responsive alarm systems for medical or safety crises, is also a critical unmet need.

Right now, AADA refers survivors of elder abuse to Barbados’ Ministry of People Empowerment and Elder Affairs, but Daniel-Goddard said a more coordinated, customized response is required to ensure vulnerable seniors are not left to fend for themselves after an abuser is removed. Support plans need to cover practical administrative tasks too, she explained, from helping seniors collect their pension and manage their bank accounts to establishing clear guidelines for decision-making if a senior is hospitalized or passes away.

“It’s not just about removing the abuser,” she stressed. “We need a concrete, working plan for each survivor, and one size does not fit all – every older adult has unique needs that have to be centered.”

While updating legislation and expanding access to protection orders are important, Daniel-Goddard noted that legal reform alone cannot solve the crisis. “The law is necessary and relevant, but legislation is only as effective as the policies and procedures that follow it,” she said. She also called for better inter-agency coordination when police respond to reports of suspected elder abuse, arguing that officers should have direct access to specialized teams that can assess a survivor’s immediate psychological and medical needs when they arrive at a residence.

The need for clear, coordinated protocols is especially acute in cases involving underlying cognitive conditions like dementia or Alzheimer’s disease, Daniel-Goddard explained, sharing the story of an elderly woman who contacted AADA after her husband, who she believed had undiagnosed dementia, began abusing her. “When she went to police, they gave one answer, and when she called the psychiatric unit, they gave another – no one was able to help her in a constructive, coordinated way,” Daniel-Goddard said. This case, she argued, highlights a widespread systemic failure: Barbados currently lacks clearly tested, well-resourced protocols and sufficient trained staff to address complex elder abuse cases. “Right now, the answer to whether we have the policies and manpower we need is no,” she said.

Many older adults also lack support navigating the legal system, Daniel-Goddard added, noting that some seniors have never stepped foot in a police station and have no idea how to begin the process of applying for a protection order. To fill these gaps, Daniel-Goddard proposed that Barbados build a network of what she calls “elderly soldiers” – dedicated people and integrated systems tasked with continuously monitoring the wellbeing of older citizens and addressing needs that go far beyond basic physical care. She warned that meeting practical needs like providing food and housekeeping is not enough to address the deep psychological harm caused by the fear, isolation and loneliness that often accompany elder abuse and systemic neglect.