2021 Has Not Been a Good Year for Children

Margaret Nicholas

2021 has not been a good year for children. So far, ten minors have been killed as a result of violence; the most recent was Sunday night’s murder of twelve-year-old Nitzia Catzim in San Ignacio. A ten-month-old baby also lost his life as a result of a road traffic accident on Monday afternoon. These incidents are of great concern to the National Committee for Families and Children. 

Margaret Nicholas, Executive Director, NCFC

“I hardly had any sleep simply because I was trying to figure out what is it; what has gone really wrong? Too many of our children have died, too many of our children are dying. And it is one thing when a child gets caught up in an accident, but it is horrible when a child is actually murdered – and when a child is murdered by someone that she or he cares about or at least know. And so it really speaks to the fact that we need to get into the minds of these perpetrators to see what it is that they are thinking. There’s just so much more to be done. We need to also work along more with parents, with mothers to help them to – because sometimes we put blame here and there, but even when we are selecting a partner, sometimes we are hoping for the best but at the end of the day, this is what we end up with. So it seems to me that people are going through some very difficult times in life, people are unable to cope. I think the whole essence of where people feel insecure in relations that sometimes this is the way that they want to end it.”