(Jamaica Gleaner) Prime Minister Andrew Holness yesterday renewed calls for persons with information about the horrific murder of eight-year-old Danielle Rowe to share what they know with the police.
“If you saw something, I urge you to say something, we cannot allow this murder to go unsolved. The person or persons who committed this crime could very well commit other crimes, and we cannot tell who the next victim could be,” Prime Minister Andrew Holness said in a statement.
The Braeton Primary and Infant School student was abducted from her school in Portmore, St Catherine, on June 8 and found with her throat slashed in St Andrew. Rowe, who was rushed to hospital, succumbed two days later.
Her shocking death sparked outrage islandwide and protests with persons calling for a resumption of the death penalty for her killer.
Police, since then, have released a sketch of a woman, who they believe can help with their investigations.
Day of Mourning
Fresh on the heels of her death, the nation yesterday observed a National Day of Mourning for children who were victims of murder and abuse.
Noting that the entire nation is in grief, Holness said, “This act, along with many other gruesome acts, that has been perpetrated on our young and vulnerable, is a blot on our conscience and on our social fabric; we cannot allow ourselves to become numb. There must be an uprising in our collective consciousness, we must draw a line in the sand and speak up about it.”
In the same vein, the prime minister, while highlighting that seven children have been murdered since the start of the year, expressed concern about the state of the nation.
He stressed that a counterculture of violence is becoming entrenched in society and the laws must pre-emptively target violence producers whose involvement in criminality is evidenced by verified intelligence.
Holness, in the meantime, is reminding the country that every Jamaican parent, guardian, family member and citizen has both a moral and legal obligation to protect the children.
“By definition, our children are vulnerable and are unable to protect themselves and that is why, under the law, anyone who has knowledge of children being abused, groomed or otherwise in any form of danger must report it to the police,” he said.
