标签： Saint Lucia

Alarming new data from Saint Lucia’s Vulnerable Persons Team has laid bare a pressing child protection crisis across the island nation: of the 204 recorded sexual offences in 2024, more than 73 percent – 151 cases – involved victims under the age of 18. It is this urgent unmet need that prompted the launch of the Independent Child Protection Advisor (ICPA) programme in November 2025, an initiative designed to add a critical extra layer of support for young survivors of physical abuse, sexual violence and neglect. Now, the programme is rolling out a nationwide public outreach campaign dubbed “Connect to Protect” to raise awareness and connect more affected families with its free services.

The ICPA initiative is led by local non-profit Girls of a Feather, with core funding and strategic backing from the European Union. All advisors working within the programme undergo specialized training to deliver free, strictly confidential advocacy and hands-on accompaniment to any child under 18 who has experienced abuse or neglect, regardless of gender. Unlike fragmented support that many survivors currently receive, ICPA advisors act as a single, consistent point of contact throughout the entire protection and recovery process. They coordinate across multiple service providers, ensure mandatory follow-up on cases, and guide young survivors and their families through every step of official protection procedures and legal court proceedings.

Chelsea Foster, Programme Manager for the ICPA initiative, emphasized that timely, sustained intervention is transformative for survivors healing from abuse. “When child abuse is disclosed, suspected or reported, timely intervention and continuous support can make an important difference in a child’s recovery and ability to navigate the systems around them,” Foster explained. Currently, Saint Lucia operates with only one mandated government child protection agency, leading to gaps in service: many abused children are never assigned a dedicated social worker, and lack consistent support from the initial report through to long-term recovery. The ICPA programme fills this gap by working collaboratively alongside existing government agencies to deliver wraparound support including safeguarding planning, access to therapy, court accompaniment and other targeted assistance. “This is where Independent Child Protection Advisors can play an important role providing early, child-centred support and helping children and their families navigate the available services and systems from the point of disclosure or referral through their ongoing recovery,” Foster added.

The new “Connect to Protect” outreach campaign combines a range of public education activities to spread awareness of the programme’s free services. The initiative will introduce official ICPA ambassadors who will promote the programme across communities, alongside targeted public outreach across multiple channels. Campaign activities include radio and digital public service announcements, mass text messaging to reach households across the island, and a national tour of primary and secondary schools to educate students and staff on available support.

The campaign is designed to educate not just survivors, but the broader community including parents, guardians, teachers, peers and local residents. Participants will learn how to respond safely and appropriately when a child discloses experiences of abuse, get clear guidance on what to expect after filing a formal report, and develop a full understanding of the ongoing support that ICPA advisors provide throughout the entire child protection response process, according to an official release from Girls of a Feather.

To make access as easy as possible, the ICPA programme maintains physical office locations across four key districts: Castries, Anse-La-Raye, Micoud and Vieux Fort. Members of the public, school administrations and partner agencies can request support for an affected child through multiple channels: by visiting the programme’s official website at icpastlucia.com, sending an email to icpaslu@gmail.com, or calling the dedicated support line at +1 758 731 2020.

The 2026 edition of Mwa Ewitaj Kwéyòl, better known as Kwéyòl Heritage Month, officially got underway on Wednesday at Laborie Market in the coastal Saint Lucian community of Laborie, opening a 30-day calendar of events dedicated to celebrating the island nation’s unique Kwéyòl language, cultural traditions, and ancestral heritage.

Organized by the island’s Folk Research Centre (FRC), this year’s celebration centers on the inclusive slogan “Kwéyòl-la Sé Sa Nou Tout,” which translates to “Kwéyòl Belongs to All of Us.”

Speaking at the opening ceremony, FRC founder Monsignor Patrick Anthony emphasized that the theme reflects a core truth about the language’s role in national identity. Anthony, who is widely recognized as a driving force behind Kwéyòl cultural preservation efforts, noted that Saint Lucians who have not learned the language are disconnected from a foundational part of their own personal and cultural identities.

“Kwéyòl is our culture, Kwéyòl is our identity, and every Saint Lucian should come to understand that unless I know my language I am missing out a lot about myself,” Anthony told attendees. “The wisdom in our proverbs, in our riddles, all of that, [remains] closed to us, if we do not understand the language.”

Anthony framed Kwéyòl as a distinctly Saint Lucian creation forged by generations of the island’s people. “We created it, we moulded it, we formed it…and it is the basis of all that is Saint Lucian,” he added.

Three communities across the island have been selected to host the month’s flagship activities, as well as the highlight national celebration Jounen Kwéyòl, scheduled for Sunday, October 25. Anthony extended congratulations to the selected host communities while urging organizers to center the language’s cultural importance in all their programming.

The official host sites are La Caye in Dennery, Vieux Fort South, and La Clery in Castries North. A representative of the Dennery planning committee shared that the community will deliver an authentic, engaging celebration aligned with its local sub-theme “From the Field to the People.”

Organizers in Vieux Fort have outlined a full slate of community-focused events running throughout the month, including a traditional games and storytelling evening set for October 10 and a cultural dance showcase on October 17. The main Jounen Kwéyòl festivities in Vieux Fort will open with a traditional J’ouvert street celebration on the morning of October 25.

John Paul Estephan, Minister in the Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Heritage, also addressed the launch, framing the opening of Heritage Month as the start of a national celebration of Saint Lucian identity. “We have gathered to honour those who have come before us, and we have gathered to make a simple but powerful declaration – Kwéyòl-la Sé Sa Nou Tout,” he said.

Estephan highlighted that the language carries the full breadth of Saint Lucian collective experience: “It carries our history, it carries our humour, it carries our wisdom, it carries our struggles and our resilience, it carries the unmistakable rhythm and spirit of the Saint Lucian people.”

He added that many Kwéyòl expressions hold unique cultural meaning, reflecting a distinctly Saint Lucian approach to life and wisdom. Beyond a claim of collective ownership, Estephan noted that this year’s theme also carries a call to action. “It is a statement of responsibility, because if Kwéyòl belongs to us then its future also belongs to us,” he explained.

Wednesday’s opening ceremony featured lively performances of traditional Saint Lucian folk music and dance, drawing attendance from a range of public officials and community group representatives. FRC Executive Director Melchoir Henry formally declared the 2026 Kwéyòl Heritage Month officially open at the conclusion of the event.

The Correctional Service Welfare Association (CSWA), a key advocacy body that represents the interests of correctional officers, has inaugurated a new three-year executive committee after successfully concluding its leadership elections on August 12 and 13.

Following member voting, Gavin Toussaint secured the position of President, while Nelcia Gaston was elected to serve alongside him as Vice President. The full executive lineup also includes Cleta Cylis as General Secretary, Zelia Alexander as Assistant Secretary, Shermine David as Treasurer, Curneil Estava as Public Relations Officer, and three trustees: Elijah Donat, Elmagin Sealy, and Rebecca Mathurine. All members of the new committee have officially taken up their roles immediately after the election results were finalized.

With the election campaign now behind them, the newly installed leadership has turned its focus to addressing the most pressing concerns facing rank-and-file correctional officers. Top priorities for the committee include pushing for improvements to on-the-job working conditions, strengthening welfare support for members, and breaking down long-standing communication barriers between association leadership and frontline staff, as well between the association and institutional management.

Public Relations Officer Curneil Estava emphasized that transparent, consistent communication will be the cornerstone of the new administration’s agenda. “The new Executive is committed to ensuring that members remain informed, engaged, and represented at every level of decision-making that impacts their careers,” Estava stated in a post-inauguration comment.

In addition to improving internal outreach, the executive confirmed it will maintain ongoing, constructive dialogue with relevant government and institutional stakeholders to advance policy changes that benefit both correctional officers and the broader correctional service system. The leadership’s three-year term is expected to center on amplifying member voices and delivering tangible progress on core workplace issues.

Last month, a team of seven hikers from the Caribbean island nation of Saint Lucia successfully summited Mount Kilimanjaro, Tanzania’s iconic dormant stratovolcano, capping off an eight-day grueling journey that blended physical endurance with deep humanitarian purpose. Standing 5,895 meters (19,341 feet) above sea level, Kilimanjaro holds the title of Africa’s highest peak, and the trek tested every member of the group, according to expedition leader Marcus Mufasa Joseph.

The expedition grew from a seed planted during a 2023 humanitarian water well project in Zambia, when Joseph learned a fellow Caribbean native had founded a new school in rural Tanzania. Rather than simply providing a one-time donation, the team structured a dual mission: raise funds to expand the school, while climbing Kilimanjaro to draw attention to a range of pressing issues affecting Saint Lucia – including cancer awareness, efforts to curb community violence, and support for local orphans and widows. The trek also marked a milestone: 30 years of service by Joseph’s non-profit, Kairos Konnection, a non-denominational Christian humanitarian organization that operates aid projects across the globe, from drilling clean water wells to constructing educational facilities.

For Joseph, this marked his fifth humanitarian expedition to Africa, but his first visit to Tanzania, requiring extensive pre-trip preparation to respect local cultural norms. “I held monthly meetings to walk the team through local customs: everything from appropriate dress codes and dining etiquette to expectations for gender interactions and how to respect community boundaries,” he explained to local outlet St Lucia Times in a post-climb interview.

Physical preparation was equally rigorous, with months of training completed back in Saint Lucia to build endurance and acclimatize the team to high-altitude conditions. The group completed monthly long-distance hikes to the island’s iconic waterfalls and climbed Gros Piton, Saint Lucia’s famous volcanic peak, logged hours of strength training at local gyms, and Joseph even completed an overnight solo stay on Mount Gimmie to practice mental conditioning for the challenge ahead.

Even with all that preparation, the climb pushed the team to their absolute limits. “It was eight straight days of intense pain,” Joseph recalled. “Hours of non-stop walking, freezing temperatures at high elevation, and severe breathing difficulties – there were two moments I truly thought I would not make it off the mountain alive.” High altitude sickness is one of the biggest hazards on Kilimanjaro, and several team members required emergency rescue by local guides, who quickly escorted them to lower elevations to stabilize their conditions. Through every moment of struggle, the group’s shared mission kept them moving forward. “Every single one of us climbed for a specific reason,” Joseph said. “You just fix your focus on that purpose, and thank God for every step you get to take. When teammates hit their breaking points, we pulled each other along, reminding everyone not to quit.”

The team summited and completed the trek on September 18, wrapping up the first phase of their broader African humanitarian campaign. The group has already donated $4,050 USD to the Tanzanian school expansion project. Due to a tight travel schedule, they were not able to stay to see construction begin, but they have arranged to receive regular updates on how the funds are allocated and the progress of the build moving forward.

Reflecting on the experience, Joseph shared that the journey left him with a lifelong lesson beyond the humanitarian impact. “Kilimanjaro taught me that life is meant to be taken one step at a time,” he explained. “Our guides used the Swahili phrase ‘pole pole’ every single day on the trail – it means ‘slowly slowly’. We all have our own internal mountains to conquer, don’t we? The biggest lesson I’m bringing home to Saint Lucia is that when you face life’s hardest challenges, you walk through them one step at a time, leaning on your faith.”

Amid growing public concern over unaddressed reports of officer misconduct and eroding public confidence in local law enforcement, the Royal Saint Lucia Police Force (RSLPF) has elevated internal disciplinary reform to the top of its institutional agenda, launching a public call for residents with unresolved complaints against officers to reach out directly to the force’s dedicated Discipline Unit.

Recent unaddressed accounts of police indiscipline have opened rifts between the community and law enforcement, pulling down public trust and weakening the force’s ability to carry out its core service mandate. In response, RSLPF leadership has made disciplinary oversight a central pillar of its broader push to build a more professional, transparent and accountable police service for the island nation.

Superintendent Irvin Alfred, who leads the RSLPF Discipline Unit, outlined the force’s new approach in an official public statement earlier this week. “The Commissioner of Police has identified discipline within the organisation as a priority area in strengthening the organisation’s vision of providing a professional, accountable and effective policing service to the people of Saint Lucia,” Alfred said.

As the head of the unit tasked with handling all internal disciplinary matters, Alfred emphasized that robust, fair discipline is foundational to the force’s public mission. “I recognise the importance of this responsibility and believe that discipline must be approached with fairness, consistency, impartiality and respect for due process,” he noted.

Alfred pushed back against the common misconception that internal discipline is solely focused on punishing bad behavior. Beyond addressing confirmed misconduct, he explained, consistent disciplinary frameworks reinforce professional standards across the force, help every officer fully grasp the gravity of public service, and embed accountability into the institution’s culture.

Policing, Alfred argued, relies on a shared responsibility between law enforcement and the communities they serve. “While every member of the Force is expected to uphold the standards of conduct associated with policing, there is also a corresponding expectation that members of the public respect and uphold the law, particularly as officers carry out their duties in service to the community,” he said.

Alfred stressed that the Discipline Unit is committed to processing all complaints and concerns through fully transparent, procedurally sound channels, with fairness at every step of the process. Every disciplinary case, he pointed out, carries real stakes: it impacts officers’ professional careers and directly shapes the public’s broader perception of the entire police force.

“The Unit therefore intends to discharge this responsibility with professionalism, objectivity and integrity. This approach will be guided by fairness and accountability, while ensuring the disciplinary process contributes to strengthening the organisation and the confidence the people of Saint Lucia place in their Police Force,” Alfred added.

To clear the backlog of unresolved complaints and speed up resolution for community members, Alfred is urging any resident with pending disciplinary matters before the RSLPF to contact the Discipline Unit directly via phone at 456-4223 or email at disciplineunit12@gmail.com.