Home Affairs Ministry: protect juveniles’ privacy and dignity
September 8 2026
The Ministry of Home Affairs has moved to correct what it describes as several inaccuracies in a recent media report concerning conditions at Guyana’s Juvenile Holding Centre.
The Ministry’s statement, issued on September 9, follows a report broadcast by 9Newsbreak on September 7, in which Member of Parliament Coretta McDonald made several statements about what was referred to as a “Juvenile Detention Facility.”
According to the Ministry, the Juvenile Holding Centre is specifically designated to accommodate children in conflict with the law who have been remanded by order of the court. It clarified that children are not placed at or referred to the facility by the Childcare and Protection Agency.
The Ministry said the facility operates under established security and supervisory protocols aimed at safeguarding juveniles, staff and the wider public. Juveniles remanded to the Centre are not permitted to leave without appropriate authorisation and supervision, while access to and departure from the facility are strictly controlled.
The Centre operates under the Juvenile Justice Act 2018 and Guyana’s international obligations concerning the rights and welfare of children, including the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child.
The Ministry said its focus includes the custody, rehabilitation, education, health and overall welfare of juveniles in its care.
As part of its rehabilitation and reintegration efforts, juveniles have access to educational, developmental and psychosocial programmes. These include preparation for the Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC), literacy programmes, technical and vocational training, life-skills programmes and trauma-informed therapeutic interventions delivered by a qualified psychologist.
Certified social workers also provide psychosocial support, while recreational activities such as football and chess are offered.
The Ministry also expressed concern over the public disclosure of information that could potentially identify individual juveniles involved in the justice system.
It stressed that children in contact with the juvenile justice system are entitled to statutory protections concerning their identity, privacy and dignity. As a result, the Ministry said it will not publicly confirm or deny the identity, placement or circumstances of any individual juvenile.
The Ministry urged media organisations and public officials to exercise particular care when reporting on matters involving children, warning that the publication of information capable of directly or indirectly identifying a juvenile could undermine statutory safeguards intended to protect them.
It further condemned what it described as the dissemination of unverified or inaccurate information about the Juvenile Holding Centre, saying such reports could mislead the public and undermine the protections afforded to children.
The Ministry is calling for the immediate retraction and correction of the statements contained in the report, as well as a public apology from McDonald over the statements attributed to her.
The Ministry said it remains committed to the proper administration of the juvenile justice system and to protecting the rights, welfare, privacy and dignity of children who come into contact with it.
See full statement
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Juvenile Justice Department – Guyana
𝐌𝐈𝐍𝐈𝐒𝐓𝐑𝐘 𝐎𝐅 𝐇𝐎𝐌𝐄 𝐀𝐅𝐅𝐀𝐈𝐑𝐒
𝐉𝐔𝐕𝐄𝐍𝐈𝐋𝐄 𝐇𝐎𝐋𝐃𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐂𝐄𝐍𝐓𝐑𝐄
𝐏𝐑𝐄𝐒𝐒 𝐒𝐓𝐀𝐓𝐄𝐌𝐄𝐍𝐓
𝐂𝐥𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐟𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐨𝐟 𝐈𝐧𝐚𝐜𝐜𝐮𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐌𝐞𝐝𝐢𝐚 𝐑𝐞𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐉𝐮𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐢𝐥𝐞 𝐇𝐨𝐥𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐂𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐞
𝐒𝐞𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐦𝐛𝐞𝐫 𝟗, 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟔
The Ministry of Home Affairs refers to a news report broadcast by 9Newsbreak on Monday, 7 September 2026, in which Member of Parliament Ms. Coretta McDonald made several statements regarding conditions at the “Juvenile Detention Facility”.
The Ministry considers it necessary, in the public interest, to correct the many inaccuracies contained in the report and to place the relevant facts on public record.
For the avoidance of doubt, the Juvenile Holding Centre is a facility designated for the accommodation of children in conflict with the law who have been remanded by Order of the Court. Children are not placed at or referred to the Juvenile Holding Centre by the Childcare and Protection Agency.
The Ministry further states as follows:
1. 𝐒𝐞𝐜𝐮𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐒𝐮𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐯𝐢𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐨𝐟 𝐉𝐮𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐢𝐥𝐞𝐬
The Juvenile Holding Centre operates under established security and supervisory protocols designed to ensure the safety of the public, staff and juveniles accommodated at the facility. Juveniles remanded to the Centre are not permitted to leave the premises without appropriate authorization and supervision. Access to and departure from the facility are strictly controlled.
2. 𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐮𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐲 𝐏𝐮𝐫𝐩𝐨𝐬𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐓𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐉𝐮𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐢𝐥𝐞𝐬
The operation of the Juvenile Holding Centre is guided by the provisions and underlying principles of the Juvenile Justice Act 2018, together with Guyana’s applicable international obligations concerning the rights and welfare of children, including those arising under the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC).
Consistent with those obligations, the Centre places particular emphasis on the custody, rehabilitation, education, health and welfare of juveniles placed in its care.
3. 𝐑𝐞𝐡𝐚𝐛𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐄𝐝𝐮𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐠𝐫𝐚𝐦𝐦𝐞𝐬
In furtherance of the rehabilitative and reintegrative objectives of the Juvenile Justice Act 2018, juveniles at the Centre are afforded access to structured educational, developmental and psychosocial programmes. These include preparation for the Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC), literacy programmes, technical and vocational training, life-skills programmes, trauma-informed therapeutic intervention delivered by a qualified psychologist, psychosocial support provided by certified social workers, and structured recreational activities, including football and chess.
Of particular concern to the Ministry is the public disclosure of information relating to individual juveniles in circumstances capable of identifying them.
The Ministry emphasises that children who come into contact with the juvenile justice system are entitled to statutory safeguards concerning their identity, privacy and dignity. Accordingly, the Ministry will not comment publicly on, confirm or deny, the identity, placement or circumstances of any individual juvenile who is or may be involved in the juvenile justice system.
The publication or dissemination of information concerning a juvenile must be approached with the highest degree of care, particularly where such information is capable, whether directly or indirectly, of identifying the juvenile or disclosing his or her involvement in the juvenile justice system.
The Ministry strongly condemns the dissemination of unverified or inaccurate information concerning the Juvenile Holding Centre and juveniles within the juvenile justice system. Statements of this nature have the potential not only to mislead the public, but also to undermine the statutory safeguards established for the protection of children.
The Ministry therefore urges media organisations and public officials commenting on matters involving juveniles to exercise the requisite degree of responsibility and due diligence and to verify the accuracy of such information with the competent authorities prior to its publication or dissemination.
In the circumstances, the Ministry hereby calls for the immediate retraction and correction of the inaccurate statements contained in the report and a public apology from Ms. Coretta McDonald in respect of the statements made.
The Ministry remains committed to the proper administration of the juvenile justice system and to safeguarding the rights, welfare, privacy and dignity of every child who comes into contact with that system.”
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