The cries of Guyanese are often unheard. Doubts become muffled screams when the victims of this society’s dysfunction are ignored. Hurt people of this land are often not believed and sometimes alliances are forged with those who harm them. Therefore, to fabricate stories about kidnappings that may generate trauma and intensify fears does nothing but further hurt the society. We cannot encourage “a boy who cried wolf” culture when already the culture is largely to first question victims instead of believing them.
The thought of people being restrained, held against their will, and possibly facing death should disturb the nation. Faking reports of kidnappings opens the door for real kidnappings to occur and for society to ignore and doubt. It may boost the confidence of offenders who want to create havoc in the society. Their plots for how to get away with murder may just conclude with their freedom as it often does for criminals in Guyana.
Even though this society often questions victims, when we believe them, our speculations about motives and outcomes leave us unsettled. When we think about kidnappings, we fear for our children. We remember cases of long ago when children were kidnapped, and some were later found murdered and there were rumours about child sacrifices. We remember the early 2000s crime spree and are reminded that many missing people from that time have never been found. We think of about our safety.
As Guyana’s wealth grows and the number of rich or wealthy people increase, we think of cases in other countries where family members of the wealthy are often targeted and ransoms demanded and sometimes even when paid, the victims are still murdered. We think about the whispers about the harvesting of human organs, and we ponder about whether our young people are at risk. Reports of kidnappings create such haunting thoughts, and I am sure these were some of the scenarios that played in the mind of some citizens when there were reports of three kidnappings in Guyana this week.
One was about a United States citizen whose family had reported him missing. He had left the Cummings Lodge home and had not returned so his family reported him missing. His relatives claimed that they were sent a picture of his mouth covered with duct tape via WhatsApp. However, he was found alive and well in a hotel in Georgetown and he is reported to have told the police that he was not kidnapped but was at the hotel of his free will. It was later revealed that he had allegedly texted relatives to let them know that all was well but that they still decided to report the matter to the police. But how is the picture of his duct taped mouth to be explained?
The second report of kidnapping was an eighteen-year-old young woman who was missing for a few days. On Tuesday she was found on the Kitty seawalls with bruises and burns and her hair was cut. She initially said that someone had placed her head in a plastic bag, and she did not know where she was taken. However, this was also a fake report of kidnapping. The young lady admitted to calling a friend on Monday to ask for help. She felt that she needed to escape for a few days because she was struggling with depression.
The third report was made by a woman who alleged that her friend was pulled into a taxi at the Timehri bus park on Monday and the car drove away. The friend said she received a message about the woman’s life being threatened but the woman was found safely in the company of a man in Berbice and said that she had gone to Berbice willingly with her male friend who had asked her to accompany him.
In recent years there have not been an alarming number of reported cases of kidnappings in Guyana. Therefore the recent fake reports of kidnappings are disturbing not only because they may feed the reasons for doubt of those who are often skeptical when people are reported missing or kidnapped, but unfortunately when a real kidnapping may occur, which we hope never does, the response may not be swift. If people dismiss it as nonsense, it could be fatal for the victim or victims. But in the case of the three fake kidnappings this week, should the perpetrators be punished? How do we discourage occurrences of false reporting of crimes without there being any consequences for those who plot them?
In the case of the young lady who spoke of depression and self-inflicted wounds, do we punish her for seemingly experiencing mental anguish?
I do think that there should be consequences for anyone who falsely reports a crime.
As we emerge from the global COVID-19 pandemic, we must consider that it exacerbated mental health issues for many. Therefore, we should exercise caution and show care for those who say that they are struggling. A young woman plotting her own kidnapping in order to escape a struggle with depression is a cry for help. It reinforces the need for constant interventions to address mental health in Guyana from relatives, friends, and institutions.
It is unfortunate that many do not take mental health seriously in Guyana. Whether one’s family doubts them when they seek help, whether they are told to pray or to get over it, there is too much unnecessary suffering in Guyana. Many are afraid to seek help for fear that they would be labelled crazy, would be stigmatized, or judged.
The young man in the hotel was perhaps also a cry for help. Whether one believes that he simply went absent from his family or that he notified them, we cannot ignore the anguish reports of this kidnapping caused.
As for the young lady who was reported to have been picked up by a car, it was her friend who made the report. If it is found that she was deliberately lying, then she should also face the consequences of her actions.
Though the kidnappings this week were fake, I do hope that they would not affect the official response if there ever are true reports of kidnappings. I also hope that they do not encourage copycats. The nation is already under pressure. More focus needs to be placed on the positive things happening in our country. Like the success of our children, the plans for development and the unity that exist among the Guyanese people even when there are those who stoke the fires of racism.
Faking a kidnapping is not okay. It should not be encouraged in our society. Let us hope there are no more.
