A 12-year-old child was murdered. Imagine how scared she must have been and the horrible ordeal she went through. Imagine the guilt of her grandfather, who put her in a taxi to travel just five minutes to her home, only for her not to arrive safely. Now imagine blaming him for what happened. It is really sad that, in the middle of all this horror, much of the public conversation has turned to blaming her grandfather.
Sadly, this is not the first time we are seeing this kind of blame game in T&T. Every time something terrible happens to a child, people look for the nearest family member to blame. We ask why the child was there, why the child was alone, and why the family did not know better. But too often, those questions shift attention away from the person who committed the crime.
Don’t get me wrong. Adults have a responsibility to protect children, and we must make careful decisions about where our children go and how they get from one place to another. But we must not confuse responsibility with blame. The grandfather did not brutally attack and murder this child. Someone else did that. So let us start there. Let us blame the rapists and murderers, and make sure they are caught, prosecuted and punished.
The thing is, a child should be safe no matter where she is. She should be safe in a taxi, walking home, going to school, by relatives and in her own community. We cannot continue to live in a country where the burden is always placed on children and families to avoid danger, while dangerous people are allowed to move among us. That is not normal, and we must stop accepting it as though this is simply the price of living in T&T.
The murder of 12-year-old Mercedez Layne has also brought back the discussion on PH taxis, a topic that resurfaces every time a woman or child is raped or murdered.
We saw it with Andrea Bharatt and Ashanti Riley, and we are seeing it again now. It is easy to say that we need to get rid of PH taxis, in many parts of T&T, especially rural areas, public transport is unreliable or unavailable. Children still have to get to school and parents still have to get to work. Not every family has the luxury of owning a vehicle or has access to a regular taxi, bus or maxi taxi. For many families, PH taxis are the only option.
So simply saying “ban PH taxis” is not enough. We need to regulate them, register drivers, monitor them and hold them accountable, so they can become a safer transport option for women and children.
How difficult is it to have community-approved driver lists. I don’t think it is difficult, I just think we lack the vision and willpower to make these things happen. It’s time for councillors, village heads and community leaders to be more proactive. And, let us remember that many PH drivers are honest individuals trying to earn a living.
Then there is the larger issue of child protection. Every time something happens to a child, child rights advocates and groups express sadness, anger and concern. But after that, what really changes? Let us be honest. Making a statement is a lazy way to protest against a system that does not work. We need more work on the ground. We need people going into communities and teaching parents and children about safety.
We need proper child protection education in schools. Children must know what to do when they feel unsafe, and parents and grandparents must know what risks to look for. We need stronger community networks, better reporting systems, faster responses and real follow-up when concerns are raised.
We also need to look seriously at the institutions that are supposed to protect children. Having laws is not enough if those laws do not protect children in real life. By now, we can all agree that the Children’s Authority is not doing enough preventative work and that too much of the response comes after a child has already been harmed. So, what are we doing about it?
I will say this clearly. We urgently need to review and restructure how child protection works in this country. We need people on the ground who understand communities, children with disabilities, children in poverty, children in rural areas, children who travel long distances, and children left vulnerable because families are struggling. And I am not saying this as someone standing on the outside only to criticise.
I am willing to serve, to contribute, and to be part of any serious national effort to strengthen child protection in T&T, including serving on the board of the Children’s Authority if my work and experience can be useful. Because I am so tired of seeing our children being abused, raped and murdered. We really cannot continue like this.
