DINESH RAMBALLY
IN AN article entitled Reaching across the divide: Confronting a culture of violence, (https://www.antillean.org/sunity-maharaj-asami-nagakiya-868/), the horror of violence against our women and children was succinctly put as follows:
'Asami, strangled in the Savannah. Marcia, stabbed and burnt in her bed. Pixie, raped and strangled with her school belt. Baby Amy, raped to death at home. Shanese, gunned down in Mt St George. Candace and Karen, raped and stabbed in front their children. Keyana, 6, raped, battered and stuffed in a barrel. Grandmother Norma, raped and beaten at home after church. Shakuntala, raped and strangled, her nude body striped green among the stalks of the canefield.'
Names unforgettable, rolling off the fingertips of easy recall. But still, only the tip of murder's all-girl roll call.
Early in 2021 we were horrified with the news of Suzette Sylvester, a school teacher, beaten to death by a male relative, also of the brutal murder of Andrea Bharath. How many of us can recall the names of her killers?
Who remembers the names of the alleged killers of Ashanti Riley?
Who remembers how 96-year-old Utilda Joseph died?
Who remembers the name of the alleged killer of 15-month-old Sariah Williams or how this baby was killed?
For too long we have exclusively identified and commiserated with victims and their families.
But where is the rage that should erupt when we think about their killers, known or unknown? Where is the rage when their murders cannot be solved after years and years? Where is the rage when there are no clues, no answers, nor any closure? For how long must we be patient for justice to be served?
It took Sean Luke's killers 15 years to be brought to justice. We cannot help but dream about what a fine young man he would have grown up to be, and sincerely wish that he had got his God-given chance at life. Yet I must ask, who can remember the names of his killers, even after a comprehensive explanation of the evidence and a most commendable verdict by Justice Ramsumair-Hinds?
Where is the rage when we think about the brutal and inhumane manner of the deaths of our fellow citizens, like burning, stabbing, choking, shooting, skull-cracking and burying?
And somewhere in all of this we are forced to ask, why do these things even happen here? We must squarely blame the incompetent national security apparatus in this country which seems unable to get a handle on crime.
We are not encouraged by the statistics to show a one per cent decrease here and a two per cent decrease there. This is not cause to celebrate. Far from. We need to revamp our approach to the culture of criminality.
I mean, regardless of the statistics, everyone is still looking over their shoulders when they walk the streets. 'Night time' is a security risk, one that is as severe as walking with a bulging purse on the public pavement. Our womenfolk have to watch what jewellery they wear in pub
