Group pushing for swifter action on missing children
The names of the near 600 children attending Saturday’s Hands Across Jamaica For Righteousness Children’s Rally at Emancipation Park will be submitted in a petition to the Government asking for an amendment to the time in which children can be regarded as missing. “We are going to ask that for a child the time be brought down to less than eight hours,” explained Nora Blake, co-ordinator of the Children’s Rally.
The petition comes against the death of Shanieka Anderson, a seven year-old who was raped and murdered last year after she was lured away from the Coronation market in Downtown Kingston.
Blake said in Shanieka’s case the parents had to wait 24 hours before the authorities could legally or actively do anything to find her. She pointed out that forensic evidence later showed she was murdered after 24 hours had passed.
“So that has still left a very strong impression in our consciousness that we need to offer our children a better opportunity for rescue when they fall into situations that are dangerous,” she told the Observer.
She said the names on the petition will be presented through the office of the Children’s Advocate, as part of Hands Across Jamaica’s submission on the children’s behalf.
“We have already notified her [the Children’s Advocate] and we would like to symbolically present her the list of names of all the children who are here,” Blake said.
“At the time when we had that major trauma I think the whole nation recognised it but we have a way of forgetting things after nine days, so we are trying to get out of the nine-day syndrome and continue with the action we knew at the time was absolutely necessary.”
The children who turned out for the rally represented some of Kingston’s inner-city communities, Portmore and Clarendon.
Yvonne Coke, founder of Hands Across Jamaica, said letters were sent to all 60 members of parliament inviting them to send children from their constituencies, however only about 10 responded. And of those who responded, only four – Bruce Golding, Phillip Paulwell, Maxine Henry-Wilson and Mike Henry – actually sent children.
The children from Denham Town came clad in beautiful bandanas. The Rose Town community also had a huge turnout.
Blake explained that Donald Rhodd’s constituency had expressed a real interest in sending children but said they had a difficulty finding the funds.
Blake also expressed disappointment that the Child Development Agency did not make good on its promise to send 500 children to the rally. She said a day before the event they were informed that the children were not coming, even though she volunteered to provide transport for some of them.
In addition to a puppet show, the children were taught the importance of the Jamaican Motto, National Anthem and National Pledge, now referred to as the MAP.
Katherine Snider and Dawn Betton of the international organisation, Children’s Global Prayer Movement, also taught the children how prayer can change a nation.
At the end of the day, the children were given gift packets containing school supplies and personal hygiene kits.
browni@jamaicaobserver.com