Statement by AbdulKadir Musse, UNICEF Representative for the Eastern Caribbean Area, on the shooting death of Shawnathon Chase
“The UNICEF Eastern Caribbean family is deeply shocked and saddened to learn of the fatal shooting of 13-year-old Shawnathon Chase, a Barbadian child who was a kind, vibrant and well-loved member of his school community, a young man full of dreams and aspirations for a future he has now been denied – at the point of a gun.
“Our hearts are heavy as we think of his family, thrown into profound grief. No family should suffer this pain. And yet across the subregion, children are increasingly caught up in escalating violence, where fatal events that should be unimaginable are now occurring.
We also recollect with incomprehension the recent murder of nine-year-old Chantel Crump in Antigua and Barbuda. Children have also lost their lives to violence in Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines and Trinidad and Tobago within the last few months.
“As Barbados Prime Minister Mia Mottley has said so forcefully, we can and must come together to make sure that our children’s lives, our communities and our nations are not blighted by this violence. We need to act jointly, and with resolve, to keep our children safe.
“At UNICEF, challenging violence against children is at the very heart of what we do. We are working with partners – including government, schools, parents, policy makers and researchers – on expanding violence prevention programmes and interventions so young people live lives free from hurt and harm.
“We cannot let these tragedies continue. Let our shock and our sadness have purpose, let them move us to redoubling our efforts – and looking at new ideas and strategies – to ensure that no other child shares the fate of Shawnathon Chase.”
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About UNICEF
UNICEF, the United Nations agency for children, works to protect the rights of every child, everywhere, especially the most disadvantaged children and in the toughest places to reach. Across more than 190 countries and territories, we do whatever it takes to help children survive, thrive, and fulfil their potential.
For more information about UNICEF and its work, please visit: www.unicef.org
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We also need to do something about the 10s of thousands oc children that dre dying in Gaza