News
Prevention with Purpose, Turks & Caicos Marks Child Abuse Prevention Month
#TurksandCaicos, April 3, 2023 – The Department of Social Development & Welfare, under the Ministry of Home Affairs, Transportation and Communication observes the month of April as Child Abuse Prevention. The Department will be embarking on several initiatives throughout the month in its guest to promote Zero Tolerance of Child Abuse in the Turks and Caicos Islands. The theme for this year is “Thriving Children and Families: Prevention with Purpose.” The Department is calling on all individuals and organizations to play a role in making the TCI a better place by safeguarding our children from all forms of abuse.
Honorable Otis Morris, Minister with responsibility for Social Development & Welfare said, “The month of April is a time to celebrate the important role that communities play in protecting children and strengthening families. The Department will be extending the observance throughout the year and we are calling for unity which is essential in building communities and hope. Prevention is always better than intervention or cure.”
The TCI is known for its natural beauty and hospitable locals and has been rated as a safe haven for visitors. Likewise, efforts are being made to ensure that this is the reality for children through programmes and partnerships to stymie the issue of child abuse, spearheaded by the Ministry.The Department of Social Development is playing its part by providing ongoing parenting training to ensure parents have the knowledge, skills, and resources they need to care for their children. Additionally, programmes are in place to help promote the social and emotional well-being of children and youth as well as prevent child maltreatment within families and communities.
Everyone’s participation in the fight against child abuse is critical. Focusing on ways to connect with families is the best thing our community can do to strengthen families and prevent child abuse and neglect. Research shows that when parents possess protective factors, the risk for neglect and abuse diminish and optimal outcomes for children, youth, and families are promoted. Major protective factors include knowledge of parenting, knowledge of child development, parental resilience, social connections, and concrete supports. Through this knowledge, families are able to navigate during difficult times to shield them from life’s stresses.
The month of April is also known worldwide as Autism Awareness Month. Awareness is only the minimum. People know that persons with autism exist in the TCI, but persons with autism are a long way from being appreciated as the unique human beings they are. Children with autism are susceptible to abuse as well because most are either verbal or nonverbal and people can take advantage of them because of this. We as a society must protect this vulnerable population and ensure that the relevant policies, laws and intervention is in place to support persons with
autism into becoming independent upstanding individuals in this world. The Turks and Caicos Island has made small strides to provide intervention to children with Autism but we still have a long way to go in terms of having consistent Speech and Occupational therapy and Applied Behavior Analysist (ABA) offered in the homes and school by specialized professionals in the field in country.
The Department will be hosting the following activities:
(1) Child Abuse Prevention Opening Church Service- April 2, 2023 at Jericho Baptist Church- Providenciales, Revival Faith Center The Potters House Church- Grand Turk, Church of God of Prophesy- North Caicos, Wesley Memorial Methodist Church- South Caicos
(2) Community Drive Thru’ – Providenciales
(3) March Against Child Abuse and Balloon Release – April 21 & 28, 2023
(4) Lunch and Learn session with Teachers on South Caicos – Rap session with teachers as they are educated about mandatory reporting, types of abuse, how to fill out the MASH form.
Mark your calendar!
✓ Poster Competition in schools – Child Abuse
✓ Presentations at Schools- Weekly
✓ Presentations at Health Centers
✓ Pinwheel garden display (Public to posted on Facebook, Instagram and Tik Tok)
The Department of Social Development is calling on all individuals and organizations to play their part in this national and timely initiative. Child abuse prevention should be on the agenda for everyone.
If you suspect that a child is being abused or neglected, it is critical to get the child help. A person can report suspicion to the nearest Police Station or to the Department of Social Development. The following is a list of telephone contacts for Social Workers throughout the Turks and Caicos Islands.
TCIG knew from April that fuel factor could surge almost 80%; Minister says $500 cost-of-living payment was part of Government’s response
PROVIDENCIALES — The Turks and Caicos Government knew months before July’s shocking electricity bills that consumers faced a potentially massive increase in the fuel factor.
Minister of Information Technology and Energy E. Jay Saunders revealed Friday that Pelican Energy warned his Ministry in April that generation fuel costs were projected to rise from $3.09 per gallon in May to $4.79 in June and July.
That translated into a projected fuel factor jump from about 17.5 cents to 31 cents per kilowatt-hour — an increase of almost 80%.
Saunders said he personally advised Cabinet of the projected increase and presented options for cushioning the impact.
He characterised Government’s $500 cost-of-living payment as its “initial response” to rising fuel costs, before a separate fuel-factor subsidy was approved.
Cabinet records show Government agreed on June 24 to provide funding to mitigate the fuel-factor impact, with the relief programme approved July 8.
Eligible residential customers — those averaging less than $1,500 monthly over the previous three bills — are capped at 22 cents per kWh from July through October.
Pelican confirmed Friday that Government’s contribution was already applied to July bills, meaning the bills now triggering widespread public outrage would have been even higher without the subsidy.
Saunders did not disclose the programme’s total cost.
His admission that Government knew since April, however, raises another question amid the backlash: why were consumers not directly warned by Government about the scale of the approaching increase?
NASSAU, Bahamas — More Bahamians are accessing HIV and sexually transmitted infection-related healthcare through National Health Insurance, a trend the NHI Authority says should be viewed positively.
NHIA stressed in an August 6 statement that its 2025 figures measure healthcare utilisation, not newly diagnosed infections. They include beneficiaries screened, treated, monitored or receiving follow-up care, including people diagnosed previously.
“Increased utilisation of these services should be viewed as a positive development,” NHIA said.
The Authority pointed to “greater enrolment and use of NHI, improved access to screening and testing, continued treatment and monitoring of existing conditions, and increased willingness to seek medical care.”
The development comes amid a mixed three-year HIV picture. New diagnoses rose from 130 in 2023 to 156 in 2024, before declining to 142 in 2025.
NHIA said increased utilisation demonstrates that more beneficiaries are accessing needed healthcare and actively managing their health, reinforcing the importance of screening, early diagnosis and continued treatment.
WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Americas has recorded 47,459 confirmed measles cases and 44 deaths in 2026, the region’s highest case count in 22 years, prompting the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) to urge stronger vaccination, surveillance and rapid outbreak response.
As of July 18, cases were already more than triple the 15,011 recorded during all of 2025. Guatemala, Mexico, the United States and Peru
account for 95% of confirmed cases. Guatemala leads with 30,371 cases and 26 deaths, followed by Mexico with 12,255 cases and 17 deaths.
PAHO classifies the regional public health risk as very high, citing active outbreaks, immunity gaps, international travel and populations with inadequate vaccination coverage.
The organization says prevention starts with vaccination. Countries are being urged to achieve and maintain at least 95% coverage with two doses of measles-containing vaccine, particularly protecting children and under-vaccinated communities.
Measles spreads through the air when an infected person breathes, coughs or sneezes. Symptoms can include fever, cough, runny nose, red eyes and a rash.
PAHO is urging health authorities to detect suspected cases early and respond rapidly to stop transmission. Unvaccinated and under-vaccinated people, young children and communities with limited healthcare access face increased risk of severe illness and death.
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