Suicide following allegations of a mysterious visit

Jan 07, 2012 Features / Columnists, Peeping Tom

The case of the young man who reportedly hanged himself recently after a visit from Welfare Officers from the Ministry of Education needs to be investigated thoroughly by an independent group of individuals.
A personal tragedy has occurred but the suicide of this young man is also a matter of grave concern to the society as a whole, especially considering the circumstances that preceded the young man taking his own life.
The actions of the Welfare Officers, including the reason for their visit need to be explained not just to the Minister of Education but to the community from which the boy originated.
A life has been lost following an alleged visit by Welfare Officers. If these Officers were not on official duty, if their mission fell outside of their job responsibilities, if they were on a private assignment without the sanction of their superiors, then serious action needs to be taken.
Someone has lost his life and there are raging allegations being made associating the suicide with the visit by the officers. In other countries these types of allegations have led to strong outrage and we are fortunate that amidst the charges and counter charges there has been admirable restraint. But clearly, passions will run high and the authorities need to ensure that things remain calm by initiating a process characterized by public confidence and aimed at determining the facts in this matter.
The Welfare Officers should, NOT like Minister Rohee, be prejudged. At this stage, the Officers should not be blamed for what happened because the full facts of the matter have not yet been determined.
The investigation will hopefully provide answers. This investigation should be quick and complete and should answer amongst other things the questions as to why was it necessary in the first place for these officers to visit the home of the young man.
The visit was said to be related to the death of the young man’s 15-year old girlfriend three weeks ago. If the visit was in relation to this incident then it raises serious concerns.
The young woman committed suicide three weeks ago and even if there was an allegation that the young girl took her own life because of problems in the relationship with her boyfriend, what does this have to do with Welfare Officers? This should be a matter for the police and not for Welfare Officers. Why were they at the house of the young man, if indeed they were there?
The Welfare Officers have to explain just what was the basis of any visit they had paid to the now deceased young man and whether there is any truth in the allegation that they threatened the young man.
These issues need to be cleared up because it is not unknown in Guyana for public officers to be engaged in work that does not fall within their authority or is not authorized by their superiors. Some officers have in the past been known to abuse their positions and to use their offices to pursue private agendas. This has not been established in relation to the young man who hanged himself soon after the incident but it must be one of the things that must be addressed in the investigation.
The Minister of Education should therefore launch an immediate investigation into this matter. The investigating team should be named and since there is great public interest in the matter, a deadline should be announced by which the report should be made public.
It is a New Year and there should be better ways of doing things. The Minister of Education should therefore move assertively to allay all the fears that are normally associated with announcements about investigations into a matter.
A child has committed suicide and fingers are being pointed. Those accusatory fingers may very well be unjustly directed at the Welfare Officers but there are also outstanding questions about why the visit was made in the first place.
The government should get to the bottom of this matter and determine whether the conduct of the Welfare Officers were in keeping with professional standards and just what were they doing in the first place at the home of a minor and why was he reportedly questioned in the absence of and without the consent of his parents.
A life has been lost and it is important that this life is not cheapened because of the failure to explain just what triggered the young man to take his own life.

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