Over the weekend, two computers with confidential and sensitive information pertaining to children in vulnerable situations, were stolen from the Lucas Street office of the Grenada National Coalition on the Rights of the Child.
The Royal Grenada Police Force (RGPF) was called to the scene on Monday and was provided with information which can aid in easily identifying the systems.
Chairman of the Coalition, Ann Greaves said that the small organization — which has been operating for over 20 years — survives on a government subvention and that losing its main asset is just painful. “The two systems have a lot of confidential information and even though there are passwords, you know there are people who can hack systems or simple clean them out,” she said.
Greaves said the theft has put a damper on its plans to observe April as Child Abuse Prevention and Awareness month. “We have to start all over. We have no idea where the new system will be coming from and if there is anyone or an organization out there who can sponsor us a new system. We have to continue our work and a computer is very important,” she said.
The Grenada National Coalition is a collection of both government and non-governmental organizations which lobby and advocate for the Rights of Children using the Convention on the Rights of the Child as its guiding tool. In recent times, its membership has called for a policy that will provide for establishing a sex offenders registry for all persons charged and convicted of sexual offences.
by Linda Straker