‘No more names’

Lionel Francis is dreading reliving the memories of the tragic and brutal murder of his 14-year-old daughter, Yetanya Francis, who was raped, murdered and her body set on fire, almost five years ago.

Francis, for the second year in a row, will be laying a wreath today at the Secret Gardens monument in downtown Kingston, in memory of his teenage daughter whose innocent life was tragically cut short.

The partially burnt remains of the Kingston Technical High School student were found in a section of Arnett Gardens in South St Andrew on August 23, 2018, about 12 hours after the teen had left home to buy food at a shop in the community.

On the first Sunday of Child Month in May, a wreath-laying ceremony is held at the Secret Gardens monument built in 2008 to honour the memory of the nation's children who were violently and tragically killed since 2004.

Over 1,000 names are now etched on the shrine that ran out of space less than 10 years after it was erected. Yetanya's name is not among them.

A SYMBOLIC GESTURE

For Francis, the wreath laying is not a “looking forward to occasion”, as he and his family are still struggling to cope with losing Yetanya, but he accepts that it is an important symbolic gesture that serves to remind the country of what the nation's children are facing.

The father also noted that although he sees it as an honour, it had taken him a long time to develop the courage to lay the first wreath.

“Mi wouldn't mind if mi never have to do it again but what it represents, what it is symbolic to is why mi go out there and do it,” Francis told The Sunday Gleaner on Friday.

“This is the only wish I have, that whenever the moment comes, this moment when people reflect, that we use it to find or create ways to prevent things like this from recurring, that we see it as an opportunity for people to look back at what we doing wrong and what we are not doing that we should be doing.”

“People need to come out to the ceremony today and do some serious introspection because a lot of things have not been going in the right direction,” Francis said.

“Things can be implemented. We want so much to bring this tragedy that our children face to an end. We can put in whatever plans or measures to ensure that it works.”

The father continued, “So really and truly, Government really need to do some things and we, as the people, need to push but we not doing enough and that is what my stepping out is symbolic of. Mi waa fi see things happening, mi naa stay under my covers and wait fi something happen. Step out deh every time. It should be fresh to people's mind that these are the things that are happening to our children.”

Francis said there are still moments when he is tempted to lock himself away when memories of his daughter jolt him to tears, but he tries to participate in activities that help to keep his spirit strong.

“It's not easy bearing and even if mi have to mention it to family members, maybe mi might be the strongest but deep down really and truly in a my little corner mi afi do my lil bit of consoling to myself. It is not easy to live, even though you know you have your own life to live,” he said.

'I STILL CRY AND HAVE NIGHTMARES'

Yetanya's mother, Latoya Riley, said the grief over the loss of her daughter is something that she and the family will never overcome.

“Every time it comes on to Child Month or special occasions like birthdays, it gets harder,” she said.

“I still cry and have nightmares sometimes.”

But she said she tries to be strong for her 17-year-old son, Ricardo, who shared a close bond with his sister and breaks down easily over her death.

Yetanya's case is still unsolved, but both parents say they are still hoping for a breakthrough and that their daughter's killer will be brought to justice.

“It's justice we want and not just for me but across the board for all parents whose children have been killed,” Riley said.

Yetanya's mother said she won't be at the wreath-laying ceremony today but is hoping that the promised expansion of the Secret Gardens will take place soon so that her daughter's name can be engraved in honour.

Since 2017, no new names have been added, as the monument has run out of space. The authorities announced plans to expand the shrine to continue to memorialise the nation's fallen children, but work has not yet started. Up to press time, Town Clerk Robert Hill did not respond to Sunday Gleaner queries about the planned expansion.

Minister of Local Government and Rural Development, Desmond McKenzie, previously stated that when he and former Prime Minister Bruce Golding launched the Secret Gardens in 2008, they had not anticipated accommodating more than 1,000 names or that the space would have been exhausted so soon.

'A STAIN ON JAMAICA'

Children's advocate Betty Ann Blaine said it was a disgrace that the country has a monument with over 1,000 names of children killed and has run out of space in such a short time.

“I appreciate the fact that we have a monument, lest we forget. But at the same time, I'm saying that monument is a blight, it is a disgrace that we have had so many children who have died violently, and tragically in our country. That monument is, in my view, also, a stain on Jamaica,” Blaine told The Sunday Gleaner.

The Hear the Children's Cry founder said another disgraceful element is that nearly all of the children who are on the monument are from the poor and working class. The monument, she said, makes a powerful statement about the 'two Jamaicas' that exist.

“That monument should be a kind of catalyst for us to say, 'no more names' and we have to work harder as Jamaicans to ensure we don't have our children dying this way,” Blaine said. “We need to make sure as a country that no more names go on there.”

'GIVE THE CHILDREN A CHANCE'

Children's Advocate Diahann Gordon Harrison said Jamaica is experiencing a crisis as it relates to violent acts against children, but that it is part of the larger issue that the country is facing with crime.

However, she said, while there has been increased attention on the issue of violence against children and incremental improvement over the years, more can be done.

Among those efforts is the establishment of the Violence Prevention Commission, which has a specialised focus on children; and the Inter-Sectoral Committee, which deals with tackling violence against children from a number of different perspectives. This is a cross-cutting initiative, which is seeking to marry approaches to benefit children.

Speaking of the Secret Gardens monument, Gordon Harrison said it serves a symbolic purpose as “a kind of calling to consciousness of persons who are well thinking to say 'this is the state of crisis that is facing our children'.” She also sees it as a symbolic communicative kind of support in terms of solidarity with the families of children who have lost their lives.

However, she said, while it is important to have the monument or to have it expanded, it is important that the Government considers offering psychosocial support for relatives of victims and financial support in cases where it is needed.

Meanwhile, as the country celebrates Child Month under the theme 'Children Need Our Love And Protection…Get Involved', the children's advocate is appealing to everyone to rally together and give the children a fighting chance.

“Let us see if we can give the children a chance to really survive and to thrive, and to feel as if they truly have a place in Jamaica, that they can develop, they can learn, they can live without fear of harm coming to them. They need the opportunity to really move and grow from strength to strength in terms of achieving their full potential,” Gordon Harrison told The Sunday Gleaner.

She is also cautioning parents and guardians to be extra vigilant about the supervision system that they have in place for their children.

According to data from the Jamaica Constabulary Force, just over 1,800 Jamaican children were victims of various crimes in 2022. Of that number, 53 were murdered; 465 were victims of sexual offences; there were 371 cases of sexual intercourse with a person under 16; 224 were raped; 281 were assaulted; and 71 were victims of shooting.

tanesha.mundle@gleanerjm.com