Caribbean News
Turks & Caicos Celebrates Universal Children’s Day
#TurksandCaicos, November 22, 2022 – The Department of Social Development and Welfare, Ministry of Home Affairs, Public Utilities and Communication, in its continuous mandate to protect and promote the rights of all children, joins the rest of the world in celebrating Universal Children’s Day, also recognized as World Day of Prayer and Action for Children (WDPAC) under the theme “A Better Future for Every Child”, with a focus on the four umbrella principles of the convention on the rights of the child:
- Non-Discrimination
- Best Interest of the Child
- Right to life, survival & development and
- Respect for the Views of Children.
November 20, 2022 will globally mark the 32nd anniversary of the most widely sanctioned human rights treaty in history, Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC). The CRC is the first binding agreement, that 194 Country world leaders pledged a commitment to fulfill the civil, political, social, economic and cultural rights of children and adolescents. As a result of the Convention, children now have a distinct set of rights regardless of race, color, sex, creed or other status.
The Turks and Caicos Islands in its continuous commitment to protecting the rights of children has helped transform the lives of children throughout the islands. A significant number of laws and regulations have been passed to protect, support and improve the status of children and their families.
In support of A Better Future for Every Child, it is important that the movers, shakers and change makers of our nations, set precedence and become cognizant of the opportunities to advocate, promote and celebrate children’s rights. Its then and only then that our people will recognize the grave significances and the inevitability of embracing children’s rights for a better tomorrow.
As we ponder on what a ‘Better Future for Every Child ’looks like in the TCI, let us focus on a world where every child is not only enrolled in school, but there is an inclusive education system at all levels. Let’s focus on a world where every child is safe from harm, a future where mental health matters, where bedside registration is a reality and in progress and not still lingering in the air. A world where there are no stateless children because every child is given an identity. A world where children are empowered to think beyond their limitations and given a fair opportunity to reach their full potentials and enjoy an adequate standard of living. A world free from stigmatization and open to seeing children as children regardless of nationality, socio economic status and bloodline.
Children are our most valuable assets and as such, every child deserves to thrive and survive in our beautiful Turks and Caicos Islands. As we move forward in our continuous fight for children’s rights, let us remember that every child deserves an adult champion, who are agents of change, who are willing to fight in their corner. Let’s us remain mindful as a nation, that children are observing and modelling the adults in their lives and taking the lead from them. Turks and Caicos for a Better Future for Every Child, let us become the change that we want to see.
The Children Are Our Future, Let Us Care for Them Today. Happy Universal Children’s Day!
Activities in commemoration of Universal Children’s Day:
- Churches will incorporate the theme into their services and prayer groups
- Social Workers to visit the various schools on island to provide education on the four umbrella principles of the convention on the rights of the child.
- Various school on island to host a fun day in observance of Universal Children’s Day 2022, where teachers are expected to interchange their roles by dressing ‘kiddie like/ playful/ whimsical, and hosting a free entertaining, hilarious, upbeat, colourful concert with ‘out of this mind performances’ by teachers and staff for their students.
- The Department of Social Development and Welfare will surprise a few schools across the islands with goodies to enhance the day.
By Deandrea Hamilton | Magnetic Media
October 14, 2025 – It’s being called political theatre — but for citizens, constitutional watchdogs, and democracy advocates across the Caribbean, it feels far more serious. Within a single week, two national parliaments — in Trinidad and Tobago and St. Kitts and Nevis — descended into turmoil as opposition members stormed out in protest, accusing their Speakers of bias, overreach, and abuse of parliamentary procedure.
For observers, the walkouts signal a deeper problem: erosion of trust in the very institutions meant to safeguard democracy. When Speakers are viewed as political enforcers instead of neutral referees, parliaments stop functioning as chambers of debate and start performing as stages for power and spectacle — with citizens left wondering who, if anyone, is still accountable.
October 6: St. Kitts Parliament Erupts
The first walkout erupted in Basseterre on October 6, 2025, when Dr. Timothy Harris, former Prime Minister and now Opposition Leader,
led his team out of the St. Kitts and Nevis National Assembly in a protest that stunned the chamber.
The flashpoint came as the Speaker moved to approve more than three years’ worth of unratified parliamentary minutes in one sitting — covering 27 meetings and three national budgets — without individual review or debate.
Dr. Harris called the move “a flagrant breach of the Constitution and parliamentary tradition,” warning that the practice undermines transparency and accountability. “No serious parliament can go years without approving a single set of minutes,” he said after exiting the chamber.
The Speaker defended the decision as administrative housekeeping, but critics were unconvinced, branding the move a “world record disgrace.” The opposition’s walkout triggered renewed calls for the Speaker’s resignation and sparked a wider public discussion about record-keeping, accountability, and respect for parliamentary norms in St. Kitts and Nevis.
October 10: Trinidad Opposition Follows Suit
Four days later, on October 10, 2025, the Opposition United National Congress (UNC) in Trinidad and Tobago staged its own walkout from the House of Representatives in Port of Spain.
The UNC accused the Speaker of partisan bias, claiming she had repeatedly blocked urgent questions, ignored points of order, and allowed government members to breach standing orders without consequence.
“The Speaker has failed in her duty to act impartially,” the Opposition declared in a statement. “Parliament is not the property of any political party or Presiding Officer.”
The dramatic exit was seen as a culmination of months of rising tension and frustration, with opposition MPs arguing that parliamentary rules were being selectively applied to silence dissenting voices.
Political analyst Dr. Marcia Ferdinand described the twin walkouts as “a warning sign that parliamentary democracy in the Caribbean is teetering on the edge of performative politics.”
“When chairs become political shields rather than constitutional referees,” she said, “democracy becomes theatre, not governance.”
A Pattern Emerging
While St. Kitts and Trinidad are very different political environments, both incidents point to the same regional fault line: the perception that Speakers — the guardians of parliamentary order — are no longer impartial.
In Westminster-style systems like those across the Caribbean, the Speaker’s authority depends not on power but on public confidence in fairness. Once that credibility erodes, parliamentary control collapses into confrontation.
Governance experts say the implications are serious: eroded trust between government and opposition, declining public confidence in state institutions, and growing voter cynicism that “rules” are flexible tools of political advantage.
Why It Matters
Parliamentary walkouts are not new in the Caribbean, but what makes these recent events different is their frequency and intensity — and
the regional echo they’ve created. Social media has amplified images of lawmakers storming out, with citizens from Barbados to Belize questioning whether the same erosion of decorum could be happening in their own legislatures.
Analysts warn that if this perception takes hold, it risks diminishing the moral authority of parliamentary democracy itself.
“Once opposition MPs believe the rules are rigged, and once citizens believe Parliament is just performance,” said one Caribbean governance researcher, “you’ve lost the most valuable currency in democracy — trust.”
Restoring Balance
Political reformers across the region are calling for tighter Standing Order enforcement, independent parliamentary service commissions, and training to strengthen Speaker neutrality. Civil society leaders say the public must also play its part by demanding transparency and refusing to normalize partisan manipulation of parliamentary procedure.
Whether these twin walkouts become catalysts for reform — or simply another episode of Caribbean political theatre — will depend on what happens next inside those chambers.
For now, democracy watchers agree on one thing: when opposition leaders feel the only way to be heard is to walk out, the entire democratic house — not just its Speaker — is in danger of collapse.
Angle by Deandrea Hamilton. Built with ChatGPT (AI). Magnetic Media — CAPTURING LIFE.
Caribbean News
Sandals Resorts and Beaches Resorts celebrate a night of wins, and take home a total of 16 titles at the 32nd Annual World Travel Awards
-
world news1 week ago80% of the World’s Poor Face Climate Hazards — UNDP Sounds Alarm
-
TCI News7 days agoFrontier Airlines’ Arrival to Turks & Caicos Marks a Game-Changing Connection
-
TCI News1 week agoBeaches Turks and Caicos Celebrates TCI National Heritage Day with investment in youth and culture
-
TCI News1 week agoInvest Turks and Caicos Unveils Categories for The MSMES “A Celebration of Excellence”
-
Uncategorized1 week agoISU Supports Successful Multiagency Demolition Exercise in Blue Hills
-
USA7 days agoNarco-Terrorist Take Down by US Gutting Caribbean Gang-Crime
-
TCI News1 week agoTurks & Caicos Police Commissioner Urges Students to “Awaken Their Sleeping Giants”
-
TCI News4 days agoHURRICANE MELISSA: NATIONAL EXECUTIVE DIRECTIONS