By Emmanuel T. Erediano
[email protected]
Variety News Staff
INSPIRING stories and remarks highlighted Tuesday’s proclamation signing of Child Abuse & Neglect Prevention and Awareness Month at the Marianas High School main cafeteria.
Joining Gov. David M. Apatang in proclaiming the awareness month were Delegate Kimberlyn King-Hinds, Speaker Edmund S. Villagomez, Assistant Attorney General Frances “Frannie” Tenorio Demapan, Commissioner of Education Dr. Lawrence F. Camacho, Board of Education Chairwoman Maisie B. Tenorio, and Division of Youth Services Administrator Vivian Sablan.
Also present were Department of Public Safety Commissioner Anthony I. Macaranas, Department of Corrections Commissioner Anthony C. Torres, DYS Child Protective Services supervisor Mariah Barcinas, BOE member Kodep Ogumoro, Saipan Mayor Ramon Blas “RB” Camacho, Vice Speaker Diego Vincent F. Camacho, Reps. Roy Ada and Thomas John Manglona, and students, staff, and faculty members of MHS.
This year’s proclamation theme is “Doing Things Differently: Moving from the Challenge to the Change.”
According to the proclamation read by two high school students, a total of 816 cases of child abuse and neglect were reported — 776 in Saipan, 13 in Tinian, and 27 in Rota — affecting 2,210 CNMI youth, including 2,114 in Saipan, 28 in Tinian, and 68 in Rota.
Demapan said that of over 2,000 cases reported by DYS in 2025, the Office of the Attorney General received only 25, about 1%. Of those, the OAG determined it could pursue charges in just 15 or 16 cases. “And that should scare all of us. The majority of cases that actually make it to our office are the ones with strong advocates pushing them forward,” she said.
Mother’s love
The governor thanked DYS for its dedication to the safety and well-being of children. He quoted Samuel Taylor Coleridge, who described a mother’s love as “the veil of a softer light between the heart and the heavenly father,” noting that parents and guardians are meant to embody protection, care, and love — yet not all children experience that light.
He said substance abuse and other unhealed trauma remain among the greatest contributors to child neglect and abuse. “We are especially grateful for foster families and caregivers who provide the love, stability, and support children need. Your compassion is a light in the darkness for those children who have nowhere else to turn,” he said.
The last time
King-Hinds titled her remarks “The Last Time.” She recounted childhood abuse at the hands of her grandmother and uncle. “What has been done to you does not define you. It will take time to process, but there may come a time when you ask yourself, what is your value to this world? Go beyond what others have done to you and realize you have immense value and should not be ashamed to live your fullest life,” she said.
Now a mother, wife, lawyer, marathon runner, and U.S. delegate, King-Hinds emphasized, “We don’t break the cycle with words. We break it with choices. Every one of us here has the power to make that choice.” Addressing youth, she added, “Let yours be the generation that says, it stops here…with courage, because the most powerful gift you can give a child is safety. Let this be the last time.”
Deal with your own trauma
Demapan shared advice from a trauma expert: “The way we gift future generations is by working on ourselves, not just trying to be better parents.” She explained that parents can unconsciously pass trauma to children through tone, reactions, and stress. “If we don’t understand ourselves, we risk raising children in the very environment we are trying to protect them from. It’s not about being perfect; it’s about being aware,” she said.
She urged parents to “deal with your own stuff, get the help you need, and create spaces where kids feel safe — physically and emotionally. Prevention of child abuse does not start in the courtroom; it starts at home.”
It belongs to all of us
In closing, Sablan thanked attendees: “Today is more than a proclamation. It’s a reminder that protecting our children and supporting families across the CNMI is not the work of just one agency. This work belongs to all of us.” She emphasized the theme: “It speaks to where we are and where we need to go. Every day is about committing to change.”
Villagomez praised King-Hinds and Demapan for their inspiring remarks. “Inspirational talks during proclamations are what I look forward to. When it comes to child abuse or youth violence, it is inspiring to hear community members speak up, letting you know you are not alone,” he said.
He urged the community — from first responders to individual citizens — to follow this month’s theme. “Our children deserve all the love, care, and respect. We must continue to give that for a better community and a better future,” he said.
Emmanuel “Arnold” Erediano has a bachelor of science degree in Journalism. He started his career as police beat reporter. Loves to cook. Eats death threats for breakfast.
