Who can file a complaint?
The complainant or, if the person is a minor, a concerned person (please see below more details on this).
What formalities are required?
The police must be made aware that an offence may have been committed against the person.
What happens with minors? Can they report alone? Or are the parents, the school, etc. those who must file the complaint?
A parent, guardian or concerned person can make a report on behalf of a minor, especially, if they are under fourteen and unable to do it by themselves.
Who are required to report? (For example, school directors, public officials, health system representatives, etc.)
Barbados does not have any mandatory reporting requirements, and this appears to have compromised the efforts at creating a centralized system through which all child abuse cases are handled.
The Child Care Board, the agency legally vested with the child protection mandate, has identified this issue as one of the most significant factors undermining their ability to effectively respond to child abuse in Barbados. In the absence of any written policies or protocols, consistent reporting of child abuse to the Child Care Board is left to chance. There are a few verbal protocols with some agencies, but generally reporting is discretionary and occurs on an ad hoc basis.
Is it possible to start an online investigation?
If it is a matter relating to computer misuse, there are certain powers the police have in terms of using online materials and seizing technologies. However, currently, it is not possible to start an investigation online in Barbados.