LETTER: Our Children Need Extra Protection

Dear Antigua.News,

I am a private citizen who works in St. John’s City. I made an observation that I believe needs to be highlighted to your readers, especially parents who would believe their children are safe at school.

I do not want to be labeled a conspiracy theorist, I am a realist who is very observant with eyes to see just like anyone else. I witnessed some tourists taking photos of the St. John’s Anglican Church which is a key attraction for visitors who come off of cruise ships. The problem is that I strongly believe that those who are unwell with evil intentions may be truly attracted to the adjacent secondary school, Antigua Girls High School.

Antiguans are known for being friendly but perhaps it is time we practice more vigilance and teach our children, both boys and girls, of the phenomenon of ‘stranger danger’. I was walking along the school and I saw a Caucasian male attempting to converse with the underage female students on the other side of the fence. I became hyper-aware, so I could ascertain what kind of conversation he was trying to have with these children in school uniforms. I did not pick up anything seriously inappropriate but at minimum, it sounded like simple curiosity. I passed him and told him,

“Remember they are school children”.

My aim is not to bring down the name of my alma mater. In my time, headmistress Mrs. Yvette Samuel advised us against engaging with the tourists and letting them take our photos for our own safety as growing young ladies in blue. It is not my place to say whether such advice is still commonplace, but it is worth reiterating in these times where powerful predators such as Jeffrey Epstein are being outed for their crimes against women and children.

The truth is, we simply do not know the intention of every single visitor who comes to our shores. Some may genuinely want to experience the sunshine and beautiful white sand beaches. Others may be here for more nefarious reasons that we may not know or want to know. We cannot turn a blind eye. We already have such a relaxed position in our communities where our young women and children experience sexual violence at an alarming rate and it’s as though nobody wants to talk about it.

I recommend that all schools increase their security, not only for residents who want access to the schools for whatever reason, but these visitors who are left to roam freely because of their skin colour and foreign dollar. Talk to your children and let them know how to protect themselves when they are away from home and parental supervision.