Dear Editor,
After reading the news article ‘Teenager gang-raped at Barama’ in the Thursday, December 6th edition of your newspaper, I was outraged in several respects.
Firstly, what is happening in Guyana that a 17-year-old has to be working instead of being in school?
Aren’t there laws against child labour and systems put in place to protect children when they do work in certain situations?
Secondly, the entire Guyanese community should be justifiably outraged at Barama for not only employing a 17-year-old, but having no regards for this innocent young woman to put her to work the 11 pm to 7 am shift. This should not be permitted.
A 17-year-old, in my experience, should be in her bed at that time and dreaming about her schoolwork, school the next day and all the frivolous things teenagers dream about, not fighting off three men, whom I presume must have been far older than herself. I am counting on the legal system in Guyana to bring the full force of the law against these men.
Also, I am calling on the parents and relatives of this young woman not to follow the trend that is pervading Guyana society today and settle this out of court. Justice must be served.
Yours faithfully,
Caren English
