Commissioner of Police Weighs In on Rights and Responsibilities of Children

Chester Williams

And since that video has gone viral on Facebook, a number of persons and organizations have weighed in on what appears to be use of excessive force on a child. Commissioner of Police Chester Williams says that while he understands the importance of observing the rights of the child, he believes that there must be more conversation about responsibilities of those rights. Here’s how he explains it.

Chester Williams, Commissioner of Police

“I see a lot of organizations advocating for the rights of children. That is good. Children need to understand that they do have rights but what many of these organizations fail to do is to inform these children that while they have these rights there are certain responsibilities that go in tandem with those rights so that they are able to strike that balance. The fact that the young girl was an escapee from hostel, the police had all right to detain her. There was nothing wrong with that. When you look at the UN Convention of the Rights of Child, everything must be done in the best interest in the child. So, the child’s interest is always paramount. While we look at that convention, we understand that certain things that we do while we think we are acting in good faith; it might not be in the best interest of the child. So, the police and N.C.F.C. and UNICEF and others need to come together to ensure that whatever we do correspond with each other and we understand what is the limit to certain things. And most importantly, while we advocate for children’s rights that we also advocate that these children know the limits to which those rights are afforded to them, i.e., the responsibility that comes along with rights.”