THE EDITOR: Reading the Newsday over the past few weeks has left me daily with feelings of sorrow, given numerous reports of young people, babies included, dying by unnatural and sometimes violent means.

Only earlier this week, the corpse of a newborn was found in a garbage bag in Maraval. Then there was poor one-year-old Harley Persad, who perished in a fire at her Endeavour home.

Then I read of the three-year-old girl who died after being burnt after falling onto a pot of boiling lentil peas.

Recently, a child who was assaulted and who had pointed out the people who attacked her was shot to death in her home as she slept. Her uncle, the Newsday reported, was also shot dead in that incident.

Then there were the four young people who were murdered in their home in Guanapo, callous, demonic gunmen spraying them down with bullets while they were sleeping.

And there is the child who drowned in a water park.

I am quite certain there are many other children and teens who have died either by murder or accident/misadventure.

All very sad and depressing news indeed.

It speaks to the fact that in our country, as in the rest of the world, being a child or a young person does not automatically mean protection from criminals. It makes you wonder what is the point in procreating anyway, since it's clearly a dog-eat-dog world we live in, and anywhere and anytime, a gunman can end your life.

As a pensioner, I must say, I am grateful that my childhood was during an age and time when TT was a much more safer and genteel society, where people seriously paid heed to the saying, "It takes a village to raise a child."

Now, our society is a selfish one where, once you or your loved ones are not directly affected, many choose to turn a blind eye to the sufferings of others, including children.

As I enjoy these last few years of my life and am ready whenever my maker decides to pull my plug, all I can say is: God help the youth of our nation!

LEE MERRICK

San Fernando

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