Guyana: MP Questions Effectiveness of Government Interventions for Underage Pregnancies in Guyana

Amanza Walton, an Opposition Parliamentarian and Leader of the Forward Guyana Movement (FGM), has expressed concerns regarding the effectiveness of government interventions designed to protect vulnerable girls. Her concerns follow parliamentary responses from the Ministry of Human Services and Social Security, which revealed that 584 girls under the age of 16 became pregnant and were referred to the Childcare and Protection Agency (CPA) between 2020 and 2025.

Walton emphasized that this figure should raise national concern, stating, “We are talking about hundreds of children under the age of 16 becoming pregnant over a five-year period. Each of these cases represents a child whose circumstances required intervention from the child protection system, the healthcare system, the education system, and in many cases, the criminal justice system.”

While acknowledging the Ministry’s outline of support services, including counselling, monitoring, risk assessments, and healthcare interventions, Walton argued that there was insufficient information provided to determine whether these measures are improving outcomes for the girls involved. One significant issue raised was the Ministry’s admission that it could not provide data on how many of the underage girls referred to the CPA ultimately gave birth.

Walton stated, “The Ministry states that the Agency is involved before birth, at birth, and after birth. Yet Parliament is being told that the system cannot identify how many girls within that cohort ultimately gave birth. That should concern anyone interested in evidence-based policymaking.”

She further argued that effective policymaking relies on reliable data and measurable outcomes, questioning how interventions can be evaluated without the ability to measure the population moving through the system. Walton criticized the focus on program activities rather than results, stating, “There is a fundamental difference between describing what a programme does and demonstrating what a programme achieves. Counselling, referrals, assessments, monitoring, and case management are important activities. But activities are not outcomes.”

Walton concluded by asserting that Parliament and the public deserve to know whether vulnerable girls are becoming safer, healthier, and more likely to remain in school as a result of government interventions. She stated, “It is not enough to tell the public how much money was allocated, how many assessments were conducted, how many referrals were made, or how many meetings were held. The real question is what changed.” This issue has gained additional significance following recent comments from the head of the Childcare and Protection Agency, indicating that Guyana is failing its children. Walton emphasized the need for measurable results, stating, “If we are serious about protecting vulnerable children, then we must be equally serious about measuring results. Good intentions, programme descriptions, and budget allocations are not enough. We need evidence that the interventions being undertaken are improving outcomes for the children they are intended to serve.”

Source: hgptv.com

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