PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad--A 32 year-old Trinidadian man and his 21-year-old common-law Jamaican-born wife have been arrested and are facing cruelty charges under the new Children’s Act in connection with the abuse of an infant girl which was recorded and went viral on social media.
The suspects, who are not the child’s parents, were held Thursday afternoon in a room on the second floor of a two-storey apartment building in Vistabella, San Fernando.
Police said they had been conducting under-cover surveillance after receiving a tip-off.
The video, in which the young child was slapped repeatedly by a man as he fed her milk from a bottle, was circulated on social media and aired on local television earlier last week.
While not on camera, a woman who spoke with a Jamaican accent could be heard telling the child to drink the milk and saying, “Yuh look for that” when she was being slapped.
In a statement issued after the 2-minute-and-12-second video went viral, the Children’s Authority of Trinidad and Tobago condemned the actions of the man seen on camera.
It said while the Child Protection Unit of the Trinidad and Tobago Police Service is investigating the incident, it is working with the mother and the child to provide the necessary support, which includes medical treatment and counselling.
The authority appealed to parents and guardians to be vigilant in ensuring the safety of their children. ~ Caribbean360 ~
