It takes a village to raise a child properly – The Residents who found the two year old lifeless body in a suitcase
Grandma always told me that back in the day, a village raised a child. When I asked her to explain, she would give examples of children not being able to misbehave on the streets because Miss Matthie or another neighbour was always looking out for another’s child. Back then which was not so long ago, neighbours cared for their neighbours’ children like their own. Now-a-days, everybody’s minding their own business. They brand us as a ‘generation of vipers’ that they can’t control and hence should not care about.
However, one story that the Observer reported demonstrated that a village still cares about a child’s welfare however late that might be. According to said newspaper, a group of angry residents made a terrifying discovery of a two- year’s old body that was hid in a suitcase for approximately two months allegedly by his parents. Saddening right? According to the article, the neighbours haven’t seen the child for a while and decided to take matters in their own hands. Unfortunately, they didn’t find him alive and well.
There have been rumours that the child had died from Ackee poisoning but post-mortem revealed that the child died from natural causes. A story like this just makes you speechless, terrified, sad, disappointed, upset and baffled at how parents can be so negligent towards their children. Just the mere fact of them concealing the body indicates a strong sense of guilt. Why hide the child if you had nothing to do with his death? For approximately two months, they had the child’s body locked away in that suitcase. How did they sleep at nights knowing his lifeless body was in the same house stashed away as if he wasn’t a human-being? Did they care?
All Kids need our guidance...not just ours!
So if the parents don’t care, who will? Who can really intervene especially if they have no evidence of abuse or any misdemeanor? Society is so messed up. And here’s the twist. That village might be caring but another village might be filled with rapists, abusers and people with degraded or no morals that they have no problem hurting a child? So who’s to trust?
So many questions, not enough answers. Too many being ill-treated, not enough care. Too many depleted morals, not enough standing up for what’s right. I always remember that Jackass sey di worl’ nuh level….Yet I will not stop caring about our children. It starts with one person to get a nation to stand up for a change.
Readers, I ask you, how do you think we can start this change? What can be done to save that ill-treated child in your community? I eagerly await all your replies.
R.I. P little one…. Kudos to the residents who put your soul to rest.
