EDITORIAL: Too many girls going ‘missing’

There seems to be a carefree attitude on the part of Barbadians when young girls, teenagers in particular, are declared “missing” by the Royal Barbados Police Force. Some Barbadians apparently hold the view that these young females will surface at some point in time and news reports will simply indicate that they have been traced or located.

Those concerned about the well-being of the younger generation, however, want a few answers to this all too common trend. There is the view that if the police cannot provide clear answers on what is at the core of the disappearance of many of these young girls, then at least the agencies responsible for the welfare of minors should give some word on what is taking place at the level of the home and the community, that seems to be driving the trend.

While it is known that details of cases cannot be openly divulged to the public, as it is not ethical to make such personal information public, there still needs to be some account given by the relevant parties to indicate what is truly happening at the societal level, to cause so many teenage girls in particular to leave their homes for sometimes days and weeks on end, without making contact with other persons in the household.

Some may speculate that these girls are wandering off because in some cases, they are just wayward. Some even speculate that the majority of these young females are shacking up with males who are way older than they are, when they leave home for days on end. Some say they are likely running from problems and troubles in their households and in some cases, trying to escape an abusive environment. While there may be some truth to some of these speculative statements, it is high time that we get a general breakdown, perhaps percentage wise, outlining the possible reasons these girls are leaving home to find solace and security elsewhere. The public should also be provided with information on the number of girls who have repeatedly left home without a trace, only to be located at a later date and information, if possible, should be provided on where the majority of these girls do go when they leave home. The public should also be made aware of steps being taken to address this troubling trend.

The aim here should not be to judge or condemn these teenage girls, who clearly are in need of some assistance and intervention in their lives, but for the public to better understand what is happening at the domestic level, that is ultimately spilling over to the national level, so we can work to assist these females.

If citizens unsympathetically flip the page whenever they see a report stating that members of the Royal Barbados Police Force are seeking the public’s assistance in locating yet another missing girl, there could come a time when some young girl that is truly in need of assistance after being declared “missing”, could truly meet her demise because no one paid close attention.

It is time we seek out the root causes to this problem and work to address it.