Minister of Human Services and Social Security, Dr Vindhya Persaud, has called for a national conversation on what she described as the growing prevalence of family dysfunction, domestic violence, abuse and bullying.
In a Facebook post on Tuesday morning, the minister urged parents, children and the wider public to reflect more deeply on the root causes of harmful behaviour within families, schools and communities.
“We often hear the phrase ‘hurt people, hurt people’, but if we are really being honest, it goes much deeper than that,” Dr Persaud said.
“True family healing is not just about stopping physical violence. It is about ending the silent, sometimes daily, emotional wars that we wage on each other. How do we fix this? How do we deal with this?”
The minister said that while physical abuse often received public attention, emotional and psychological harm could be equally damaging and should not be overlooked.
To help address these challenges, Dr Persaud highlighted several programmes and services offered by her ministry.
These include parenting classes designed to equip parents, guardians and caregivers with the skills needed to navigate family challenges.
“I want to encourage parents to reach out to us if they feel overwhelmed,” she said.
The ministry also operates the Family Enhancement Services programme, which works directly with young people and their families, as well as the Child Protection Agency and the Probation and Social Services Department.
The minister said these initiatives provide support to vulnerable families and children facing a range of social issues.
However, she stressed that government interventions alone will not solve the problem.
“The point is we have these services, and we are 1,000 per cent ready to support, but I still believe that we need to really face what is happening here and ask the hard questions because this thing goes deeper.
We have to find a solution. This is a solution that our country has to find because it deals with people,” she added.
The minister stressed that the discussion must extend beyond social media and involve direct engagement with communities across the country.
“This discussion can’t end with this post. I am going into many communities and we are going to talk about this in person,” she said.
She will be visiting Region Two later this week, where she intends to continue discussions on the issue and hear directly from citizens. This approach will be extended to other parts of the country as well.