The Editor, Sir:

The death of six children under the age of six during the festive season, after being left at home alone, should be enough to galvanise the state to act. It cannot be business as usual.

History judges a country by its treatment of those in need of protection and care i.e. young, the elderly as well as the physically and mentally challenged.

As a country, we have fallen woefully short. The statistics over the last 10 years are replete with cases of children left home alone, who have died.

Have any of these deaths resulted in any change by the state? It appears to be business as usual. As individuals how many of us turn a blind eye to the abuse or are participants?

The state needs to play its part to educate society and ensure action is taken against persons who continue to neglect children under their care. The firemen at the scene were appealing for persons to desist, but we need to move beyond appeals. Too many lives have been lost.

We have several benevolent organisations and while the focus may be different, rather than creating new ones, these organisations can pool human and financial resources together to better address the needs of those they have undertaken to care for and rescue.

I am hoping the death of these children will galvanise us to act for indeed we are our brothers' keeper.

I am, etc.,

J. RICKETTS

Kingston

Via Go-Jamaica