In a powerful stride for regional child development research, Saint Lucian-born academic Clementia Eugene has successfully defended her PhD dissertation at the Anton de Kom University of Suriname. The presentation, held on April 30, 2025, marks a significant milestone for Dr. Eugene, who currently serves as Interim Program Manager and Lecturer at the University of Aruba’s Department of Social Work and Development.
Her dissertation, titled “Reimagining Child Maltreatment: A Human Development Capability Approach,” explores the pervasive issue of child maltreatment in Aruba through a human rights and capabilities-based lens. Drawing from the frameworks of renowned scholars Amartya Sen and Martha Nussbaum, Eugene examined how abuse—especially physical and intra-familial sexual abuse—disrupts the foundational capabilities essential to children’s growth, dignity, and flourishing.
Based on two national surveys—a 2019 school-based survey of 895 children aged 12–17 and a 2021 professional survey involving 98 stakeholders across health, justice, education, and social services—Eugene uncovered a staggering child maltreatment prevalence rate of 78.4%. Physical abuse emerged as the most normalized and widespread form of maltreatment, with many Caribbean children, parents, and educators accepting it as a cultural norm.
The study introduces a layered analysis of “polyvictimization,” finding that over two-thirds of maltreated children had experienced two or more types of abuse. Those categorized as “high poly victims,” particularly girls, children from single-mother households, and those from lower economic backgrounds, displayed significant developmental deprivations across nine out of Nussbaum’s ten central capabilities.
Significantly, Eugene’s work challenges conventional approaches to child protection, arguing for a capabilities-based model that centers justice, human dignity, and developmental flourishing. Her research also evaluates the implementation of Aruba’s Child Safety Code—an initiative sparked by these findings—and reveals practical gaps in identifying, reporting, and responding to maltreatment.
Beyond identifying the scope of abuse, Eugene’s dissertation lays the groundwork for four theoretical innovations:
1. A Capability-based Approach to Child Maltreatment;
2. A proposed Caribbean Child Maltreatment Capability Index;
3. The inclusion of child maltreatment indicators in the Human Development Index (HDI);
4. A Family Transitional Theory of Justice, which aims to end cycles of abuse across generations.
These proposals position children not just as beneficiaries, but as central actors in sustainable development—regionally and globally.
Dr. Eugene’s assessment committee included a distinguished panel of international scholars: Prof. Tobi Graafsma, Prof. Manon Sanches, Prof. Jaipaul Roopnarine, Prof. Fruhling Rijsdijk, Prof. Graciela Tonon, Dr. Mieke de Droog, and Mrs. J. Joemratie. Her successful defense not only earned her a doctorate but also contributed a transformative voice to the global dialogue on childhood protection and development.
