United Nations child rights expert Faith Marshall-Harris is urging parents and caregivers to stop using sugary treats and fast food as rewards for children, warning that this habit poses long-term health risks.
Marshall-Harris, who is also the chairman of the National Committee on the Rights of the Child, issued the call as she threw her support behind a new campaign advocating for a ban on the marketing of unhealthy foods and beverages in schools. The campaign is organised by the Heart & Stroke Foundation of Barbados in association with the Barbados Childhood Obesity Prevention Coalition.
“We have got to start somewhere; we have got to get very serious about this ban. We can’t just have policies and strategies—we have to go further,” Marshall-Harris said on Wednesday at the campaign launch at Accra Beach Hotel. “There will be an outcry, but we must educate and deliberate for our children.”
Marshall-Harris noted that rewarding children with unhealthy food has become ingrained in Barbadian culture, especially around major academic milestones. She pointed to the tradition of treating children to fast food after the 11-plus exam and the growing trend of Friday evening “rewards” at fast food outlets.
“In a few months, there will be swarms of children after the 11-plus exam being rewarded with huge gallons of fast food. But this is not just a one-time event anymore. Every Friday evening, there are large groups of parents and children, seemingly celebrating simply getting through the week,” she said.
Marshall-Harris stressed that this practice is detrimental to children’s long-term health and goes against Barbados’ commitments under the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, which guarantees the right to adequate, nutritious food, ensuring children can thrive with the highest attainable standard of health.
While acknowledging the government’s efforts to address childhood obesity and poor nutrition—such as increasing taxes on sugar-sweetened beverages and introducing a school nutrition policy—Marshall-Harris raised concerns about the ongoing challenge of enforcement.
She highlighted reports of vendors outside school compounds undermining the policy’s effectiveness.
“There appears to be an implementation deficit. Canteen operators initially tried to adhere to the policy, but when vendors outside the school gates freely offered prohibited foods, they were forced to compete, and many reverted to selling unhealthy options,” Marshall-Harris said.
She questioned why authorities have struggled to enforce the ban on unhealthy food sales outside school compounds, despite clear guidelines in the policy.
The child advocate also voiced concern over recent statistics from the World Obesity Atlas, which projects that Caribbean children will be among the top ten globally with the highest obesity rates by 2030.
“This is a worrying trend,” Marshall-Harris said, adding that reversing it requires a combination of political commitment, resource allocation, and community-driven action. “This is not an issue that can be abandoned. It must be treated with the seriousness it deserves—because it has implications for life and death.”
During Wednesday’s launch, Minister of State in the Ministry of Health, Davidson Ishmael echoed the concerns, framing the issue as a national battle for the well-being of future generations.
“This is an exercise in being strict guardians of our heritage and firm craftsmen of our fate,” he said. “We must correct cultural practices that have been accepted for too long. Even if we eliminate marketing of unhealthy foods in schools, we must ensure our homes, churches, and communities send the same message.”
Ishmael called on all Barbadians to join the fight, stressing that behavioural change cannot be driven by policy alone.
“You’re pushing an open door when it comes to policy formulation,” he assured. “But beyond legislation, behavioural change is an individual responsibility. Reducing sugar intake, limiting fast food consumption—these are steps every family can take today.”
(SZB)
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