Call for justice,accountability

THE EDITOR: Friends, citizens of TT and advocates for justice and protection of our children, lend me your ears. I come to you today not to praise the Child Protection Unit of the police service, but to condemn its failure to protect a teenage girl from her own father.

Within 24 hours of the crime, the victim and her mother reported the heinous act of molestation to this unit. Yet, despite their sworn duty to protect our children, the police failed to prosecute the perpetrator of this heinous crime.

Moreover, the TTPS's Victim and Witness Support Unit also failed to provide follow-up support to the traumatised teenager, who is now suffering from depression and anger due to the incident. The Children's Authority, too, has failed to provide the necessary support and follow-up to the teenager's case.

This failure of our institutions to protect our children is a stain on our society, and it is a betrayal of our responsibility to ensure the safety and well-being of our most vulnerable citizens. We must demand accountability and transparency from those responsible for protecting our children.

Let us not turn a blind eye to the plight of this teenage girl and other children who suffer in silence. Let us stand together, demand justice for the victims, and hold those in authority accountable for their failures.

CLAIRE ALEXANDER

via e-mail