Director of the Child Protection Agency (CPA), Levine Gouveia, is once again facing a wave of condemnation from rights advocates following controversial remarks made during a community outreach event on April 14th.
Speaking to residents in Lima Sands while seated alongside government minister Dr. Vindyha Persaud, Gouveia stated, “…we have at-risk teenagers who are prone to become teenage mothers.” The comment has ignited a firestorm of criticism, with opponents accusing the Director of victim-blaming and demonstrating a fundamental misunderstanding of the systemic issues driving teenage pregnancy in Guyana.
Rights Commissioner Nicole Cole issued a scathing response to the Director’s phrasing, labeling the remarks “rubbish” and “despicable.”
“I stopped listening when I heard girls being described as ‘prone’ to become teenage mothers,” Cole stated. “Her inability to condemn the consistent rape of children is reprehensible. Her comments prove her incompetence and show why children are in more danger when the head of the agency blames the victims of rape and exploitation.”
Cole’s sentiment was echoed by WIN’s Member of Parliament Natasha Singh-Lewis, who argued that Gouveia’s rhetoric was a calculated move to deflect from administrative shortcomings. “What she has done is shift the blame from her incompetence contributing to a failed system onto the teenage girls,” Singh-Lewis said. “If she were properly qualified and trained, she would know that teenage pregnancy in Guyana is linked to poverty, abuse, and exploitation. These high cases are the result of state neglect.”
Beyond the immediate backlash to Gouveia’s language, questions are being raised regarding the CPA’s current management of existing social programs. Sources familiar with the agency’s operations point to the stagnation of the teenage prevention program originally established under former director Ann Greene.
“The Director knows nothing about the program other than the name,” a well-placed source claimed. “It was designed for both girls and boys, but the leadership does not appear to be reaching the target groups effectively.” Advocacy groups have also weighed in, criticizing the Director for making broad generalizations without providing empirical evidence to support her claims.
“If she is making these statements without citing statistical information, it isn’t just inaccurate, it’s callous,” one advocate noted.
“Gouveia continues to prove that she is a square peg in a round hole, and someone who is not in full command of the English language, clearly what she said is dotish because teen pregnancy is not something anybody is prone to, it’s a societal issue, but she is the one who had the staff pulling the school child through the market with her hair as well as many other mess ups over the years”, another advocate said.
The mounting criticism has led to calls for a “No Confidence” motion against Gouveia, as the public and political figures alike demand a more empathetic and systemic approach to protecting the nation’s youth. The Ministry has not yet issued an official statement regarding the calls for the Director’s resignation.
