While completely against the thrashing received by the child in the Facebook controversy, I would like to point out that the mother has complained about her daughter being a problem child for some time and that she was unable to get the assistance she needed to solve the problem.
She is correct. It is almost impossible for parents to obtain help in these circumstances because the psycho-social support needed is not available in the government-run health or educational system. The private sector is very expensive and there are too many charlatans pretending to be psychologists/counsellors who take your money and do nothing.
In this case, Mrs Persad-Bissessar should stop thinking like a lawyer and act like a PM, ie, see to the establishment of adequate psycho-social services in the different ministries for the children.
David E Bratt CMT, MD, MPH