Soca star Machel Montano secured his ninth Road March title yesterday after his collaboration with Super Blue, “Soca Kingdom”—an okay song but a brilliant marketing slogan—beat Iwer George’s “Savannah” and Patrice Roberts “Carnival Sweet Fuh Days” into second and third place respectively. Even more important, Machel got a clean bill …
Read More »Suffer the children: Some changes at Children’s Authority but protection challenges remain
Will the recently announced Board of Management of the Children’s Authority be able to rise to the challenge of resolving the many problems that have plagued the organisation over its two years of operation? SHEILA RAMPERSAD concludes her investigation into whether the Authority is fulfilling its promise. Among the Authority’s …
Read More »Discussion: Should T&T be reaping the benefits of the end of corporal punishment by now?
Corporal punishment was removed from schools over 15 years ago and there seemed to be a strong moral argument to abolish “violence” against children. But should that not mean young people—at least below the ages of 23—ought to be significantly less violent? Whether or not you believe that abolishing corporal punishment was the just …
Read More »Letter to Editor: Let’s talk sex, child marriage and T&T’s sexually charged society
“The current debate on child marriages has been a morose, crass exchange of rebuttals over the right to grant the child the opportunity to marry or not marry along a subjective morally defined age range—vis a vis a grant of the right to let them know when to lust, love …
Read More »UNC senator: For God’s sake, let’s rape children! Live Wire corners Waffie on Quran
Islamic Council of Scholars official Dr Waffie Mohammed, who was sworn in as a temporary UNC senator, yesterday argued that Trinidad and Tobago should continue to permit the legal rape of minors—otherwise known as child marriages—because it was the ‘command of God’. “Muslims believe that the marriageable age of a …
Read More »Faris’ gun-toting kids, Alleyne’s pity party, Cazabon’s living dangerously and return of Two Pull
Okay, who forgot to flush on 7 September 2015? There were collective gasps across Trinidad and Tobago yesterday evening as former Sport Minister Anil Roberts returned to a political platform and was promptly anointed as a Senator-in-waiting by Opposition Leader Kamla Persad-Bissessar. Not so much a returning prodigal son as …
Read More »Emma’s Mama: A tragic, moving short story on a victim of incest
“Hold she down dey!” her mother said to her two brothers. “Yuh is too much of a bad little girl, always lying and making up story. And now look what you gone and do!” “Leh mih go! Leh mih go!” Emma Thomas screamed, twisting her little body this way and …
Read More »18 T&T civil society groups unite on eradication of child marriage
The Association of Female Executives of Trinidad and Tobago (AFETT), Caribbean Association for Feminist Research and Action (CAFRA), Coalition Advocating for Inclusion of Sexual Orientation (CAISO), Domestic Violence Survivors Reaching Out, Down Syndrome Family Network, UWI Faculty of Law (St Augustine Campus), Family Planning Association of Trinidad and Tobago (FPATT), …
Read More »Sex and the geriatric preachers: why we should look past dirty Harrypersad
It is amazing, though not surprising, how easily our people can be distracted from the important issues that we face as a nation, currently galloping crime and an economy in crisis. Last week, everyone—from captain to crook—was consumed in debate over a rather stupid statement that Harrypersad Maharaj issued on …
Read More »Office of the PM responds: Gov’t sees “critical need” to end child marriages
The following release was issued by the Office of the Prime Minister in response to the issue of child marriages for Trinidad and Tobago’s religious sects: The Minister of State in the Office of the Prime Minister (Gender and Child Affairs) has noted with concern the statements that are being …
Read More »