GG: ADDRESS ROOT CAUSE of atrocities

CHARGING THAT Jamaica is “failing” its children, Governor General Sir Patrick Allen yesterday called for the country to urgently address the factors driving the violent attacks on the young ones who are generally referenced as the nation’s future.

“We need to address the root causes of such violence, whether it be poverty, education breakdown of family values, social disparity or lack of mental health services,” Allen said in a speech delivered by Custos of St Andrew Ian Forbes.

“We must acknowledge our shortcomings, face them and take decisive action. There is no greater duty for us as a nation, as a society, as individuals than to safeguard the lives and future of our children,” he said.

Forbes was delivering the message during a prayer vigil at Dunrobin Primary School in St Andrew, held in observance of yesterday’s National Day of Mourning for Jamaican children who have been victims of violence and abuse.

This comes amid the national outrage over the callous murder of eight-year-old Danielle Rowe, who was abducted from Braeton Primary and Infant School in St Catherine on June 8. Rowe, who was found with her throat slashed in St Andrew, succumbed two days later.

The governor general, in his message, said these “horrendous atrocities of murder and abuse” are not mere statistics, but are “dreams of a bright future extinguished too soon, the laughter silenced too prematurely, the potential of nation brutally denied”.

“Every child in our nation deserves to grow up in safety, nurtured by our collective love and understanding. But these innocent souls were denied that fundamental right and horrific violation of the trust bestowed upon us as protectors. This is a grave failing and we stand accountable,” he said in his speech.

The governor general, in the meantime, encouraged Jamaica to not just observe the day of mourning, but to use it as a solemn promise and a call to arms “that the atrocities that we have witnessed are not just the acts of a few but the symptoms of a deeper societal ailment that we must confront.

“Let us rally together as one nation; a nation committed to the sanctity of childhood, beauty of innocence and promise of tomorrow,” he said.

“Let our mourning not only be an echo of our sorrow but the clarion call for change, may the beauty of the lives lost inspire us, drive us to act, mobilise our resources and build a nation that holds the safety of its children paramount,” he also urged.

Newly appointed Minister of State in the Ministry of Education, Marsha Smith, also urged Jamaicans to use yesterday’s observance as an opportunity to renew their vigilance in keeping the nation’s children safe.

“Let us use today’s day of mourning to revitalise our commitment both as children and as adults to be vigilant because this is what this required, renewed vigilance on the part of all stakeholders to create the conditions necessary for the protection and safety of all our children,” she said.

“None of us is an island and none of us stand alone, let it be that we share each other’s joy but more importantly that we share each other’s grief and bear each other’s burden because, at the end of the day, we need to defend each one as a family.”

Smith also implored persons to utilise the Child Protection and Family Services Agency’s child abuse helpline 211 number to report cases of abuse.

Principal of Dunrobin Primary, Sacheel Grant Henry, while emphasising that she does not want to see a continuation of the brutal attacks on children, said the school stands in solidarity with the country’s leaders and other stakeholders in wanting to put an end to this scourge.

“Let us mourn with empathy, let us not mourn as though we are people who continuously mourn, but as a people who look forward to brighter days as crime in our nation is brought under control.”

tanesha.mundle@gleanerjm.com