Fourteen years ago, the nation was shocked and outraged when news surfaced that 11-year-old Akiel Chambers was murdered. His body was found floating in a pool at a house at Haleland Park, Maraval, the day after he attended a children's birthday party there. He was wearing a man's swimming trunks and autopsies revealed that he was sexually molested. Although his case has been kept alive by the media, to date the crime remains unsolved. Akiel not only represents scores of children whose young lives have been snuffed out but also those who continue to endure a life of abuse, violence and shame. On April 22, the Akiel Chambers Justice for Children March will be staged to remind society that much more needs to be done to protect the nation's children. The second event, organised by the children's advocacy group The Jericho Project, started as a social movement on the networking site Facebook. It's being hailed as a silent protest but spokesman Renee Cummings says its message will be heard loud and clear. "I remember reading the Akiel story online and holding on to my computer and actually crying. I looked at his picture and it was just something about his eyes. It's almost as though he was asking the question, 'Why?' "Now we must ask the question, 'what kind of world are we living in? What's going on with us socially and culturally that we've been desensitised to stories like these?'" Cummings, a criminologist, says the time for justice is now. "We have to continue raising public awareness about the impact that trauma and abuse have on our children. If the state cannot protect our children, we have to do something as a nation. We have to realise that child abuse in all forms create deep wounds. Although they may be invisible wounds, they are deep."
Lamenting that T&T's justice system is in dire need of reform and should adopt international best practices, Cummings, who is also a journalist, called on the authorities to move with haste to bring the perpetrators of crimes against children to justice. She says there is also need for fully funded and functional children's services, intervention and rescue facilities throughout T&T, school guidance and counsellors, as well as the enactment of the long overdue Children Bill, all of which have been promised. "What is stopping the authorities from putting best-practice protocol in place? They are definitely not doing enough. "We find ourselves going nowhere when it comes to protecting children in our violent society." Speaking of violence, Cummings noted that countless studies indicated that children exposed to violent situations at a young age grew up to act out what they had seen. Simply put, an abused child may grow up into an abuser. How can this cycle be stopped? Cummings, who specialises in juvenile delinquency, says it starts with ensuring that children are afforded a safe and healthy environment. "If we don't understand how these things come together we will never find solutions. "We need to provide the requisite intervention for them to grow into healthy adults," she stressed. "My mission is really about defending childhood. This march is calling for justice. Step out and walk. Walk with pride...Too many children are being abused to death. "We have lost too many children unfairly, unjustly and unlawfully... Schoolchildren, teachers, activists, everybody come out and let us march for our children."
Gone too soon
These are some of the children who were never given the opportunity to embrace life:
Akiel Chambers, 11
Josiah Govenor, 6
Daniel Guerra, 8
Adrian Richards, 12
Akel Gafoor, 17
Amy Annamunthodo, 4
Dane Andrews, 12
Dario Mc Coy, 16
Devika Lalman, 15
Dion Barclay, 16
Dominic Thomas, 16
Etean Smith, 2
Hope Arismendez, 8
Jashouna Hypolite, 15
Jevon La Monte, 17
Kimo Richards, 15
Kyle Grant, 17
Kylie Garcia, 15
Leah Lammy, 8
Lily Seepersad, 7
Lisa Sammy, 17
Lorenzo Harridath, 10
Mastaq Benoit, 16
Michael Forde, 14
Mikhaeil Alleyne, 13
Neil Clement, 17
Parmanan Persaud, 13
Radha "Pixie" Lakhan, 16
Riana Parag, 18
Ricardo McKenzie, 16
Ronald Palakdhari, 16
Sean Luke, 6
Shahida Phillip, 16
Shernelle Codrington, 16
Simeon King, 16
Tecia Henry, 10
Zakia Mitchell, 14
Zareen Ansara Mohammed, 15
More Info
The march will start at the King George V Park, St Clair, Port-of-Spain, at 8 am and will travel around the Queen's Park Savannah before returning to the park, where various people are scheduled to speak.
