The Editor, Sir:

This nation, particularly its children, is terrified. Why? There are stories of abductions or 'near' abductions around every corner. After observing politicians, police and media personalities for the past two weeks, I continue to be amazed at our aversion to research and careful analysis of problems.

What are the facts? Police records tell us that there has, in fact, been a significant reduction in abductions this year over last year. This remained a big secret while panic-stricken parents were running around, like headless chickens, trying to 'protect' their children.

Calls being made?

The word is that assorted persons/groups/cults wanted large numbers of children to be either killed or mutilated. So, calls were being made, ostensibly by the potential abductors, to various educational institutions, informing them that they would be abducting children from their institutions.

Why would one, who plans to abduct children, make their mission virtually impossible by telegraphing their plans, thereby putting all interested parties on alert. So, they spread the panic, closing schools, calling parents to come for children and calling emergency meetings.

Earlier this year, a spate of violence erupted in specific geographical areas. The random nature of the killings seemed to have escaped everybody. But, the tension during this period made citizens feel insecure and unsure of themselves.

Spreading terror

Finally, after dozens of deaths, people started to question the origin and purpose of these random, apparently pointless killings. They stopped immediately. Now, after a much-publicised abduction, persons have decided to again do what was done earlier this year with the shootings, spread terror and create mayhem. And, we have allowed it to work.

Let me hasten to say that abductions are taking place. But this should come as no surprise to us. The main reasons have to do with the extent to which mothers are farming out their daughters to the most causal of bidders and the practice of sending children out of their communities to attend school elsewhere.

I went to a supermarket in my area and saw everybody looking at a girl whose dress was losing the battle to cover some very basic areas of her anatomy. I asked her if her mother knew that she had that dress and was wearing it in public. She answered proudly that it was her mother who bought the dress and 'tek it een'.

Wayward girls

Perhaps, it is time for the police to tell the nation how many of the 'missing' cases turn to be just wayward girls, who decided to spend some extra time with a man and did not have enough respect for their parents to tell them.

The politicians, police and talk-show hosts have not stopped talking. But, they continue to 'gully creep' around the real issues for fear of losing popularity. How come a 14-year-old, who lives with her mother and adult siblings, is available to accompany a man to his home, at 11 in the night, for sex? And, how come, not long thereafter, she is at her gate, scantily clad, at 10 in the night, with another man? How come, we refuse to ask the questions that will yield helpful answers? And, don't tell me that it is not my business! It is my tax dollar that pays for the meagre resources, which are stretched to breaking point investigating these cases.

No bonding time

The sending of children out of their communities to school is full of problems. They leave before sunrise and return at night. This robs them of study time, bonding with family and prevents community development. Parents have no idea which sociopath with a 'lunch money' is out there waiting to 'befriend' them. It is an extra financial burden to parents and traffic nightmare on the roads. But, more than anything else, they cannot be monitored and supervised - prerequisites if children are to develop into well-rounded adults.

Any country that treats its children as we do, and have them wandering unsupervised at all hours, is a prime target for abductions.

I am, etc.,

GLENN TUCKER

Stony Hill

Kingston 9