By Ifeoluwa Alonge
On August 6th, 1962, Jamaica gained her independence from the United Kingdom. Sixty-one years later, on August 6th, 2023, Jameila Cole, of Cotton Tree, Albert Town, in Trelawny, was robbed of her innocence and her life snuffed out—all on the same day. At 2 a.m. that day, Jameila Cole’s home was forcefully entered. The fifteen-year-old student of Troy High School would become a victim of one of Jamaica’s most gruesome murders, one that has especially hurt my heart.
The intruders cowardly attacked three defenceless women in their own homes. Aside from Jameila, her mother and cousin were cruelly beaten with wooden objects by the two masked men. Jameila was not only physically abused and beaten but also dragged into the bushes, where she was sexually assaulted. She was left to die in a yam field near her home but was rescued and rushed to Spalding Hospital in Manchester and then to Kingston for specialised treatment. However, the poor girl failed to regain consciousness and passed away.
DO WE VALUE HUMAN LIFE AS A NATION?
All three of the victims were reported to have sustained head injuries, and Shanice Anderson, the mother in the home, was attacked first. Also included in this horrific event was Jamelia’s cousin, who was able to escape.
I see Jameila as not just a victim of physical and sexual abuse but also a victim of a society that has little value for human life. One thousand four hundred and ninety-eight (1,498) Jamaicans were murdered in 2022; and in 2021, the number was 1,474.
In 2021, Haiti had a murder rate of 13 per 100,000, while Jamaica’s rate was 52.1 per 100,000. Haiti is a bigger country in terms of land area and population and is notorious for gang activity and failure to secure its citizens; however, statistically, Jamaica is a more dangerous country than Haiti by looking at the murder rate. It could be argued, quite controversially, that by looking solely at murder rates, Haitians place a greater value on life than Jamaicans.
A NATION KILLING ITS FUTURE
Jameila, like thousands of other murdered Jamaican children, was living her life, expecting to return to school come September, only for wicked men, without fear of God or the value of human life and dignity, to snatch it away.
Whether you acknowledge it or not, children are the future. Why is Jamaica actively killing and driving away our future? Who could have predicted what Jameila would have done with her life? Who could have determined what she would have become just a few years from now? Now another beautiful piece of this nation’s future has been ripped away.
It is discouraging to see a nation where many young people, if given the opportunity, would leave; that is, if they are not raped, killed, molested, physically abused, violated, or traumatised first.
It was just last June that five innocent souls met their tragic end in Cocoa Piece, Clarendon, when a mother and her four children had their throats slashed in their home. This was perpetrated by the mother’s cousin, Rushane Barnett, who was sentenced to life in prison.
IRONY OF INDEPENDENCE
How ironic that Jamelia’s savage murder would have taken place on Independence Day, the day when we celebrate our nation and her achievements. What an awful stain on our accomplishments as a people (and we have many) are these murderous attacks. What future will we have left in Jamaica if we continue to disregard human life and pretend that everything is fine when it is not?
I implore us as a nation to do what is right and better protect the children and youth, for we are Jamaica’s future and not all of us want to run away. Some of us do want to stay!
Lo, children are a heritage of the LORD: and the fruit of the womb is his reward. Psalm 127:3 (KJV)
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Contact Ifeoluwa at [email protected]. He is 14 years old and has been writing for FC Rain since he was age 11.
