Letter of the Day | Stop killing our children

THE EDITOR, Madam:

The unsettling news of the three-year-old child who was killed over the weekend in Denham Town has left me deeply saddened and disturbed. Equally heartbreaking is the recent killing of a four-year-old girl in Mandeville.

These are not just tragic headlines to be skimmed and forgotten; they represent stolen lives and shattered families. They were Jamaica’s children, our future nurses, creatives, lawyers, teachers and innovators taken before they had the chance to truly begin living.

We appear to be witnessing a slow and painful normalisation of violence that now reaches even the most innocent among us. Have we reached a point where gunmen feel no restraint, no conscience, no reverence for life so sacred and defenceless? To kill a child is not only an act of brutality; it is a direct assault on the moral fabric of our society and a profound failure of our collective responsibility to protect the vulnerable.

While Jamaica’s crime statistics have reportedly shown a decrease in overall homicides, according to updates from the Ministry of National Security and Peace, such figures offer little comfort to grieving parents and broken communities. A downward trend cannot justify complacency. Even one child lost to violence is one too many. Progress cannot be measured solely by percentages and charts, but by the level of safety felt in our neighbourhoods and the protection guaranteed to our children.

We must ask ourselves difficult and uncomfortable questions. Are we doing enough at the community level to interrupt cycles of violence? Are parents, schools, churches, civil society and policymakers collaborating with the urgency this crisis demands? Are we investing adequately in prevention, early intervention, conflict resolution and social support systems that address the root causes of crime before they escalate into bloodshed?

Children should never become collateral damage in conflicts they did not create and cannot understand. They deserve safe homes, safe streets and safe communities. They deserve to grow, learn and dream without fear.

This moment demands collective action. Government agencies, law enforcement, community leaders and ordinary citizens must recommit to protecting our most vulnerable. Silence and indifference are no longer options. We cannot continue to mourn in cycles. We must act decisively, compassionately and together to ensure that no more of our children are buried before they have had the chance to live.

AFRICKA STEPHENS

astephens@fiwechildren.org