Activists stage protest over boy’s killing

Former minister of Social Development Dr Amery Browne says the country “experienced” a national tragedy with the death of eight-year-old Daniel Guerra whose bloated body was discovered on Sunday, close to the Tarouba Link Road, San Fernando. Daniel was reported missing last week after he went to a shop near his Gasparillo home and never returned. As news spread on Sunday afternoon that the decomposing body of the Standard Two pupil of Gasparillo Government Primary School had been found, support groups immediately decided to wear black yesterday to take a stand. A small group of social activists gathered at the Queen’s Park Savannah yesterday wearing black and holding placards. Browne was there wearing a black long-sleeved shirt. He told reporters it was not the first time the country had to undergo such a situation.

He added: “Clearly we are not doing enough. “None of us is doing enough and if a child in our neighbourhood could be walking unattended and people observing that fact and not doing anything about it... not taking action, it tells me that we are in some ways still asleep in T&T when it comes to safety of children.” He said the boy’s death was unfortunate. The Diego Martin Central MP urged citizens to be their brother’s keeper. He called on them to utilise the social avenues, such as the hotlines and not sit back and remain silent. He said one of his concerns was the Children’s Bill which he raised in Parliament on Friday. “The bill is ready and should have been brought back by this administration to be tabled, debated and passed.

“It will be passed and a law alone will not protect every child but certainly putting that back on the national agenda is going to result in top of the mind awareness in all families,” Browne added. Acting chairman of the Jericho Project Phillip Edward Alexander said the group would continue its action until Friday. “This is another lost innocent that should not have occurred. We got this information yesterday (Sunday) and we literally dropped everything we were doing to come here to raise awareness especially in this Carnival time,” Alexander said.