In a heartfelt statement following the tragic shooting death of a 13-year-old boy in Silver Hill, Christ Church on March 25, Prime Minister Mia Amor Mottley has condemned the violence and called for collective action to curb gun violence in Barbados.
The young victim, Shawnathon Chase, was struck by gunfire during an incident that has left the nation in mourning.
Prime Minister Mottley expressed deep sorrow and appealed to the public to intervene and work together in the fight against violence.
Below is the full statement from the Prime Minister of Barbados, the Honourable Mia Amor Mottley SC, MP:
It is with profound sorrow that I address you today in the wake of another tragic incident that has shaken me and indeed many across our nation to the core.
Last night, an innocent child lost his life, having been caught in the crossfire of senseless violence. His name is Shawnathon Chase. Let us remember it. A young life full of promise extinguished prematurely. It was only seven months ago that I stood before you heartbroken over a similar incident where a 12-year-old girl was wounded equally in Silver Hill. At that time, I begged each of you to STEP Up, to recognize that this battle against violence cannot be won by the police alone or the Government alone, or any single entity alone. My people, it requires a collective effort from all, all of us. And yet, here we are again, mourning a child. Another family devastated, another community shaken, a country crying.
I say it all the time. Guns do not walk, nor do they talk. They are wielded by people who choose to settle disputes through violence, rather than through dialog. To those who believe that guns are the answer, I beseech you, I beg you to consider the innocent lives that you are endangering. You were not brought into this world to do this. To the mothers, the fathers, the sisters, the brothers, the friends, the grandmothers, grandparents, godparents, anybody, somebody on the brink of making these choices, bring them back, intervene, talk with them. Have the difficult but necessary conversations. Encourage them to put down the weapons, my people, and seek peaceful resolutions.
We cannot allow our beloved Barbados to become a place where our children are no longer safe or no longer feel safe, where elderly people also don’t feel safe, where laughter is silenced by gunfire, and where families suffer the devastating pain and anguish that is inconsolable. Conflict, my friends, yes, is an inevitable part of life from the beginning of humanity. But violence is not and has never, never, never been the solution. We must teach and demonstrate alternative ways to resolve our differences. Together, we have to find ways to avoid this loss and this heartache, and it is not beyond us as a people. I tell you, it is not beyond us as a people to do it.
There must still be things in this world that are sacred, places that are off limits, moments that are not to be violated, and above all else, our children, our future, our sons and our daughters must remain untouched by the madness that is seeking to tear our communities apart. There’s enough madness in this world. We don’t need to have it here. A child should never have to run from gunfire. Should never be caught in the crosshairs of vengeance. Should never have their laughter silenced by bullets. And if we can’t agree on anything else. If we can’t agree on anything else, let us agree on this. Our children are not and must never be our targets. They’re not to be collateral damage. Our children and our elderly are the lines that we must never cross, and we have to come to a pact in this country about it.
As your Prime Minister, but more importantly, as a fellow citizen, as a fellow Bajan, we have to lead, all of us by example, and I commit sort of to do. We will continue as a Government to implement and support initiatives aimed at curbing violence and providing opportunities for our young people. But my friends, believe you me, policies are not enough, and I will say it over and over and over when I am in this office, out of this office, policies will never be enough. It is the actions that each of us take in our homes, in our schools, in our communities, that is what is going to bring about real change.
I want to extend my deepest condolences to the bereaved family. I’ve already spoken to his father. I want to extend my condolences to his friends, his schoolmates, his teachers, all of them today are going to be feeling and grieving the loss. No words, no words can ease the pain of losing a child, a brother, a grandchild, a friend. But please. Please know that you are not going to walk alone.
I hope to continue to provide this support and guidance, not only now during this unimaginably difficult time, but as we go forward when others have forgotten. If anyone, my friends, I want to be very clear. If anybody knows what happened last night, I urge you to speak to the police.
Thirteen-year-old Shawnathon Chase, a student of The Lodge School, must not have died in vain. Someone or persons must be held accountable for his death. And I say to Barbados, let this tragedy be another pressure point for us to turn. Let us unite as a nation to say enough is enough, and let us work together to reclaim our communities and ensure that our children can grow up in a Barbados where they feel safe and cherished and free from the shadow of violence.
May we all say prayers for his family, and may we all find the strength to be the change that our country needs.
Thank you.
