Students from across the island march for peace last November from Liguanea Post Office to the University of the West Indies in St. Andrew .
-Norman Grindley photo
Tyrone Reid, Staff Reporter
Children across the Corporate Area are calling on government to quickly put in place the death
penalty for convicted child-killers.
Citing high levels of emotional distress, the children say they fear they will be the next victims. Some have cut back on the amount of time spent away from home, while others fear travelling alone. At the other extreme, some believe things are so bad now that they must arm themselves to
protect themselves from killers.
"I think that they should hang them ... because when I am
walking I have to be looking in all four directions," 15-year-old Andrea Kennedyof a Kingston high school told The Sunday Gleaner on Friday.
Tiwana Thomas, 12, a seventh-grader believes that simply hanging child-killers will not suffice. She believes they should be made to suffer before they are hanged.
"I think that they should be
beaten, then hanged because what they did to those children was very cruel. They don't deserve to live," she said passionately with reference to the recent 'Kilancholly killings', where three children were slaughtered.
On the other hand, her 13-year-old schoolmate Kathlyn Forrester, said rendering evil for evil is not the route of justice.
GIVE HIM A LIFE SENTANCE
"I think that they should give him a life sentence because if they kill him, his blood will be on their hands. It is better you make God deal with it," she said.
Sharieka Harvey, 12, who was the most vocal of the group, said the electric chair should also be considered.
"You can imagine I am walking and somebody just grab me and kill me," said Giselle Levy. The 15-year-old student told The Sunday Gleaner that she shivers at the thought that she could be the next victim of the child killers. She no longer wants to spend time away from home.
However, Ana-Stassia McPhersonsaid staying home is no protection against criminal attacks. "Nowhere is safe,
(especially) considering where I come from. I am scared. I don't believe there is any way to stop it until you put a hold on this whole violence thing," she reasoned.
Those who are not scared have grown numb to the murders.
"I am not really scared, but I do think about it (being murdered) a lot of times and I am prepared cause mi affi dead," said 13-year-old Orlando Brown.
On the other hand, his schoolmate, Jerran Sinclairsaid while he was scared, if he is attacked, he would not go out without a fight. In fact, he says, he always carries something to protect himself.
"Mi ah war out my life. Mi nah go jus siddung and mek a man tek my life so; mi ah tek off one ah him finger," he said as laughter erupted among his peers.
The names of the children have been changed for their protection.
