Eugene, Clementia

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Position / Title
Lecturer
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Author Name Variants
Fields of Specialization
Social Work
Child Proteccion
Court Social Work
Domestic violence
Youth
Community Work
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Last updated July 8, 2025
Introduction
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Biography
Clementia Eugene is a lecturer teaching social work related courses in the Faculty of Arts and Science at the University of Aruba. Furthermore, Clementia is a PhD Candidate at the University of Aruba and the Anton de Kom University of Suriname. She holds a Master's in Social Work from Howard University, Washington, D.C., USA. She completed her undergraduate studies in Social Work at the University of the West Indies, Mona Campus, Jamaica. She has a Bachelor of Arts in Missionary Catechesis from Pontificia Universitas Urbaniana, Rome, Italy. Clementia has 22 years of experience in various social work practice fields, including child protection, court social work, domestic violence, youth, and community work in St. Lucia. Additionally, she has 25 years of experience as a social work educator. She began her social work education career designing and teaching the Certificate Social Work Program at the Sir Arthur Lewis Community College in St. Lucia and later migrated to Aruba where she did pioneering work to establish the Bachelor in Social Work and Development Program at the University of Aruba. Clementia has a passion for social work, human rights, social justice, and human development and change. She believes that the entire world population should become social workers. Clementia is also a poet and a mindfulness practitioner and values continuous self-care and reflection.

Publication Search Results

Now showing 1 - 10 of 11
  • Publication
    Conceptualizing Child Maltreatment and Human Development Using the Human Capability Approach
    (Association of Caribbean Social Work Educators, 2021) Eugene, Clementia; Graafsma, T. L. G.; Sanches, M.
    Child maltreatment is a human rights issue and social problem for the global society. Given the scientific discourses about the Human Capability Approach as a normative and evaluative framework to measure human development that captures the quality of life, human dignity, and flourishing, this article attempts to conceptualize child maltreatment as a capability impediment. The authors contend that the Capability Approach can be explored to map out those human capabilities deprived in children who experience child maltreatment. Case studies are used to explore the correlates between child maltreatment and human development using Nussbaum’s 10 Central Human Capabilities. The article concludes that child maltreatment constitutes a human development deprivation, advocates designing a Caribbean Child Friendliness Index, and valorizes child maltreatment as an indicator for human development. Implications for social work education are highlighted, and further research is recommended.
  • Publication
    Children's Human Capabilities and Child Maltreatment: A Pilot Study of one Secondary School in Aruba.
    (Buenos Aires: Universidad de Palermo, 2020) Eugene, Clementia; Graafsma, L. G.
    There are no known studies that have explored a conceptual basis for valorizing child maltreatment as a human development impediment using the Human Capability Approach. The pilot study assessed the prevalence of child maltreatment amongst 68 (N=219) school-aged children 12 – 17 years in one secondary school in Aruba using Nussbaum’s list of 10 central human capabilities. Among this sample, the prevalence of child maltreatment was at 100%. The most prevalent types of child maltreatment were emotional abuse (94.2%), physical abuse (88.4%), severe physical abuse (66.7%) and neglect (42%). Sexual abuse had the lowest prevalence rate at 18.8%. The levels of functionings achieved varied according to types of child maltreatment and their prevalence. Neglect, witnessing inter-parental violence and sexual abuse were associated with lower achievements on the combined 10 central human capabilities except for emotional abuse, physical abuse and severe physical abuse which reported highest prevalence. These types of child maltreatment were too common and left little to no variability to calculate statistical relationships with the 10 human capabilities. These findings are disturbing and raise concerns about the normalization of abuse. Further research is recommended to determine the contributing factors to widespread use of emotional and physical abuse and the potential for intergenerational transmission of child maltreatment. Future research is also recommended with a larger sample that may provide more meaningful analysis of the capability space of children affected by child maltreatment.
  • Publication
    Child Maltreatment and Children’s Human Capabilities in Aruba.
    (The University of the West Indies Press, 2022) Eugene, Clementia; Graafsma, L. G.; Sanches, M.
    Child maltreatment violates children’s rights, and there are no known studies to theorize its relationship with the Human Capability Approach (HCA). This research explored the valorization of child maltreatment as a capability deprivation using Nussbaum’s 10 Central Human Capabilities, adapting The Netherlands National Prevalence Study of Child Maltreatment (NPM, 2010) Survey as a measurement. The sample consisted of 895 Aruban children aged 12–17 years. Results revealed lifetime prevalence of maltreatment at 78.4% and year prevalence at 50.2%. Results also revealed that as the prevalence of maltreatment increased, so did human capability scores, representing children’s failure to enjoy capabilities required for their wellbeing. Recommendations are made to replicate this study in other Caribbean islands pursuant to developing a regional Child Friendliness Index. Further recommendations include introducing the HCA in teacher education, psychology, and social work training programs in the Caribbean.
  • Publication
    UA Research & Expertise - Clementia Eugene
    (2024) Eugene, Clementia
  • Publication
    Integrating mindfulness practices in teaching inter- and intra-personal development to social work students
    (University of Curaçao/University of Puerto Rico, 2020) Eugene, Clementia; Faraclas, Nicholas; Severing, Ronald; Weijer, Christa; Echteld, Elisabeth; Rutgers, Wim
    A study was conducted with 15 social work students taking a course, titled “Inter and Intra Personal Development” with the objective of determining the impact of teaching mindfulness for self-awareness, improved academic performance and stress management. Students were introduced to mindfulness practices which included breath awareness, STOP practice, mindful eating and walking and the body scan. Students recorded their daily practice experiences in a journal, which constituted the qualitative research. The Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire (FFMQ) and the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS) were administered on the first and last day of the semester. Results of the FFMQ revealed overall improvements in the facets of mindfulness at end of the course. Student’s stress which was at the moderate level at pre-test remained the same at post-test. Journal entries revealed mindfulness was useful in supporting students in cultivating self-awareness, honing inter- and intrapersonal skills and coping with personal and academic stress.
  • Publication
    Using Fuzzy Analytic Hierarchy Process to Rank Policy Aspirations for Child Protection in Aruba: A Capability Approach
    (Palgrave Macmillan, Cham, 2025) Eugene, Clementia; McFee, D.N.; Rogers, T.A.
    Child abuse has been a growing concern in Aruba since the death of two brothers because of maltreatment in 2017. This chapter presents the findings of the Child Safety Code ‘Codigo di Proteccion’ Policy Evaluation Survey. The sample consisted of 98 professionals from the health, justice, education, and psychosocial services sectors. A human development capabilities-based analysis was conducted using the Fuzzy Synthetic Evaluation approach to rank policy aspirations based on perceptions of the professionals. The Capability Approach (CA) was applied with a focus on Nussbaum’s 10 central capabilities. The results reveal that professionals perceive children to least enjoy the capabilities of ‘Bodily integrity and safety’ and ‘Control over their environment’. The capabilities somewhat enjoyed were ‘Bodily health’ and ‘Other species’. The ranking of the indicators associated with these four capabilities presents a profile of the policy aspirational themes needed to guarantee children's right to a life worthy of human dignity and flourishing. The CA fills a theory gap in childhood studies and provides a normative and evaluative framework for policy decision-making, given the multiple dimensions of human development. Recommendations are made to replicate this research amongst (i) the general population, (ii) children, and (iii) families and service users within the four sectors. The purpose is to compare findings towards designing a population-informed capabilities-based child protection policy agenda for Aruba.
  • Publication
    Reimagining Child Maltreatment: A Human Development Capability Approach
    (Anton de Kom University of Suriname, 2025-04-30) Eugene, Clementia
    Link to the flipbook: https://books.ipskampprinting.nl/thesis/59573-eugene/ The thesis and defense received international coverage: 6 May 2025, STARE NEWS, Suriname - https://www.starnieuws.com/index.php/welcome/index/nieuwsitem/86244 (https://web.archive.org/web/20250506175717/https://www.starnieuws.com/index.php/welcome/index/nieuwsitem/86244) 8 May 2025 https://dwtonline.com/promotieonderzoek-legt-verband-tussen-mishandeling-en-ontwikkelingskansen-kinderen/ (https://web.archive.org/web/20250507151948/https://dwtonline.com/promotieonderzoek-legt-verband-tussen-mishandeling-en-ontwikkelingskansen-kinderen/) St. Lucia Daily Post: https://www.facebook.com/share/p/15xJYN674S/?mibextid=wwXIfr