Michael Abrahams | Our children as collateral damage

Last year, there were many murders in Jamaica, as usual. Two of the most publicised and horrific involved children, both female. The first was the case of Danielle Rowe, an eight-year-old girl who was abducted from school, had her throat slashed, and succumbed to her injuries two days later. Following that was the heart-wrenching case of 10-month-old Sarayah Paulwell. She and her mother, Toshyna Patterson, were abducted, shot to death, and their bodies burnt.

In both cases, women were arrested and charged in relation to the murders. In the case of Sarayah and her mother, four men were also held. The similarity between the cases was not just the genders of the alleged perpetrators. The women also had intimate relationships with the fathers of the deceased children. Also, in both cases, the fathers of the girls remained unharmed.

By the end of the year, December 30, there was another incident of brutality meted out to a girl. The child was targeted and violently attacked, not just by one woman but several. When the viral video of the attack was initially shown to me, I turned away after a few seconds, as I found the violence too disturbing to watch. But, for the purpose of writing this article, I revisited the footage, watched it in its entirety, and was mortified by what I saw.

The incident took place along Allan Street in Denbigh, Clarendon. The girl can be seen being held on the sidewalk, against a wall, by several females. A very large woman with a pendulous abdomen, weighing at least 200 lbs and carrying what appeared to be a metal spatula in her right hand, marched stridently toward the girl. As the other females restrained the girl, the heavy-set woman rained blows on the defenceless child’s head with the utensil, and another woman could be heard telling her to “Buss up back him bloodc***t head. Chop him wid it. Chop up him bloodc***t.” The girl tried to escape and collapsed on the street and, even as she lay motionless, bleeding from her head, the mob continued to hit, kick and drag her. The victim of the assault was hospitalised and has since been released. However, her mother says she is exhibiting signs of memory loss and has been walking with a limp since her discharge.

The police later arrested and charged six females and a 17-year-old male with unlawful wounding and assault occasioning actual bodily harm, stemming from the incident. Three of the six females were teenagers ages 15, 16 and 17. The other three were adults ages 22, 36, and 52 years. To make matters worse, according to the head of the police in Clarendon, Superintendent Carlos Russell, the suspects appeared to show no remorse for their actions.

As with Danielle Rowe and Sarayah Paulwell, the grouse was not with the child. In this instance, it was with her mother, who was alleged to be involved in a love triangle. And, as was the case with the previous incidents, the man allegedly involved remained unharmed.

These violent crimes are alarming on many levels. Resorting to violence to resolve disputes is not only wrong but has become way too common in this country. Violence against children is also, unfortunately, not uncommon. Men are more often the aggressors of violent crimes, but our women and girls appear to be becoming more violent. On more than one occasion, I have spoken to grades five and six boys on their schools’ Boys’ Days and have been told by them that they are being physically assaulted by girls more than by other boys. Aggression in our society is not limited to males.

But the phenomenon of girls becoming collateral damage when women have relationship issues is alarming. Adults should be able to resolve their issues not only without resorting to violence but also without involving children. Our conflict-resolution skills are woefully inadequate, regardless of gender. The concept of women being naturally nurturing and maternal is a false one. They can be just as cruel as men. Our society is a hurting and angry one and, the more these types of incidents occur, the greater the chance of generational trauma being perpetuated. Our authorities urgently need to institute programmes to address how we are socialised and to teach children and adults how to resolve conflicts appropriately.

Michael Abrahams is an obstetrician and gynaecologist, social commentator and human-rights advocate. Send feedback to columns@gleanerjm.com and michabe_1999@hotmail.com, or follow him on X , formerly Twitter, @mikeyabrahams.