Hosein:Adolescent minors preyed upon, groomed, kidnapped or trafficked.

Over the past three years, the highest number of people to go missing in TT were from the 15 to 19 age bracket.

Statistics from the police noted that so far, in 2020, the total number in this group was 273 with 210 being female, 63 male, and 222 returned. In 2019, there were 349 missing, 253 female and 96 male with 325 returned. And in 2018, 268 went missing with 208 being female, 60 male, and 257 returned.

The second highest was the under 15 age group. In 2020, 100 females and 38 males went missing, and 111 returned. In 2019, 121 females and 44 males went missing while 154 returned. And in 2018 the numbers were 76, 37 and 110 respectively.

In general, compared to last year’s 940, 195 less people have gone missing in 2020 so far. Of course, with about a month to go in the year, that number may change.

In addition, 416 out of 745 people missing so far this year were women, which is a reduction from 535 out of 940 in 2019, and 427 out of 711 in 2018. It also indicated that 80 per cent of the total number of missing people returned or were found, compared to 87 per cent last year, and 91 per cent in 2018.

In November of this year alone the TTPS sent out 14 missing persons alerts, including 18-year-old Ashanti Riley whose naked body was found on Friday morning in Santa Cruz. Nine were female, and by December 4, seven of the 14 had been found.

Gabrielle Hosein, lecturer and head of the Institute for Gender and Development Studies at the University of the West Indies, said it was very important not to jump to conclusions before the whole story behind each case was known.

She said some adolescent minors were preyed upon, groomed, kidnapped or trafficked. However, she said in general, one of the reasons females under the age of 19 went missing could be because they were vulnerable in some way to people offering them conditions they were seeking that were better than conditions at home.

She said girls in happy homes did not usually want to leave. However, the issue was not always about family life as girls from working class homes go missing or run away much more often than those from wealthy homes.

“There is also a class context to girls’ vulnerability. Girls living in homes that are on the lower end of the socio-economic hierarchy are going to be more vulnerable to (people) who may seem to offer them love, economic incentives as well as promises of protection. ‘I have money. I’ll look after you. I’ll take care of you.’ These are girls who have limited opportunities in the workforce to begin with.”

She said adolescent girls were the most vulnerable category of people in TT society. For example, girls between the ages of 14 and 19 had high rates of HIV, and girls between ten and 16 years-old had the highest rates of child sexual abuse and incest.

“If we have a category that we know is vulnerable in ways that are highly sexualised, such as in terms of issues such as teenage pregnancy, early unions, HIV, and child sexual abuse and incest, then it also makes sense that this is the category of girls that would go missing.”